Paris. Oliver Zeidler did it. The three-time world champion won the gold medal in the single scull by a wide margin.
Oliver Zeidler crowned his rowing career with a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The three-time world champion lived up to his status as favourite in the final at the Vaires-sur-Marne water sports stadium and secured the Olympic victory by a wide margin, becoming the first German single-seater since Thomas Lange in Barcelona in 1992. It is the second medal in Paris for the German Rowing Association (DRV), the eighth-placed team finished fourth on Saturday morning.
Zeidler started the Olympic regatta as the overwhelming favourite for gold. After three victories in the previous races, in the semi-finals with an Olympic record, the 28-year-old gave the competition no chance in the final race and won ahead of neutral athlete Yauheni Zalaty and his long-time Dutch competitor Simon van Dorp.
Four dark circles for the Olympics
Oliver Zeidler’s race had to be postponed for an hour
The final had to be postponed for an hour after a bus carrying the finalists broke down due to engine failure on the way from the Olympic Village to the aquatics stadium.
For Zeidler, who only switched from swimming to rowing in 2016, it is the biggest success of his career after three World Cup titles and three European Championship gold medals. At the Tokyo Games, Zeidler, who started as the favorite, was surprisingly eliminated in the semi-finals.
Oliver Zeidler improves his rowing record
The Dachau native comes from a family of rowers. His grandfather Hans-Johann Färber won gold in the so-called “four bulls” in Munich in 1972, and his aunt Judith Zeidler won the eight bulls in the GDR at the 1988 Seoul Games. Oliver Zeidler is the third Olympic champion in his family.
After the women’s double scull had already won the silver medal in Paris on Wednesday, the DRV achieved its minimum goal thanks to Zeidler. Four of the seven boats made it to the final. The DRV finished the Tokyo Games with two silver medals.