Germany starts Olympic selection and Grahn steps down

But hanging over the selection is the news of coach Dieter Grahn resigning.

The federation started by selecting Marcel Hacker for the men’s single. Hacker has been the top single sculler for Germany since 1999. His best result to date is bronze at the 2000 Olympics. Since then Hacker’s results have been inconsistent and at the Lucerne Rowing World Cup earlier this season, Hacker withdrew from his race after 300m citing injury and technical problems. Hacker missed the final stage of the Rowing World Cup to focus solely on his Olympic build-up.

The women’s double will be Christiane Huth and Annekatrin Thiele. The duo finished second this season at the Lucerne Rowing World Cup and third at the Munich Rowing World Cup. These results helped cement their Olympic position. Both will be going to their first Olympic Games.

The women’s quad will include Kathrin Boron, Britta Oppelt, Manuela Lutze and Stephanie Schiller. This is one change from the crew that finished second at the Munich Rowing World Cup and then fifth at the Lucerne Rowing World Cup. Sitting in stroke seat, Boron will be after her fifth Olympic gold medal. At 38 years old Boron is the most medalled female rower in the history of the sport. Two of Boron’s Olympic golds have been in the quad and two in the double.

Marie-Lousie Draeger and Berit Carow will make up the lightweight women’s double. It will be the first Olympic Games for both Draeger and Carow. They ensured their spot in the boat after winning silver at the Poznan Rowing World Cup last week.

Meanwhile turbulence continues in the men’s sweep squad. Men’s eight coach for the last seven years, Dieter Grahn, has resigned. Grahn was moved sideways in his role earlier this month when German selectors decided to alter the line-up of the men’s eight. Six members of the crew were changed after the boat finished fifth at the Lucerne Rowing World Cup.

Grahn is an Olympic gold medallist and as a coach he has helped crews to one gold, two silvers and two bronze medals. Grahn will continue until March 2009.