Lauritz SCHOOF Interview

Rising Star – April 2013

A fast five minutes with Lauritz Schoof

In August 2012 Germany’s Lauritz Schoof became one of the Olympic Regatta’s youngest Champions at just 21 years of age. Just four years previous, Lauritz was on the podium at the World Rowing Junior Championships, claiming his first World Championships title from the junior men’s double. In the time between 2008 and 2012 Lauritz made remarkable progress, firmly establishing himself in Germany’s men’s quad from 2010 onwards. He collected a host of World Rowing Cup and World Championship medals before rowing to gold at Eton-Dorney.

World Rowing caught up with Lauritz, April’s Rising Star, to talk about training, ergs and being Olympic Champion.

I row because… rowing is a multi-faceted sport. You don´t only needpower and endurance; it is much more than that. I try to test my boundaries every day.  Amongst other things I really like the feeling of the boat floating over the water.

My sporting hero is…well I think I don´t really have just one sporting hero. From our national team trials over the past years, I have come to realise how hard it is to row a single so I have a lot of respect for guys like Thomas Lange, Mahe Drysdale and Olaf Tufte, who stuck with rowing alone for so many years.

On the erg, I listen to…metal bands like Slayer, Soulfly or Amon Amart. I like this music a lot because it puts me in a trance and I forget all my problems – like having to row on the erg for 90 minutes!

My favourite training session is…I like to row early in the morning, before the sun has risen when all you can hear are the birds. The water is flat and you don´t think about your problems.

My least favourite training session is…I don´t like to row on the erg, when I´m totally exhausted.

My toughest race…was the 2010 World Cup final in Lucerne when we took second place in the quad behind the Croatian crew. I think we fought every stroke to beat them, but in the end they took the title by just a few milliseconds.

I get annoyed when…people don´t accept different ways of life. Everbody should have the chance to decide (how they live) freely for themselves.

My favourite food is…I like rump steak with salad a lot.

My favourite tv programme is…I don´t watch much TV…I prefer to go to the cinema and watch thriller movies.

2k or 5k on the ergo? 2k!

My favourite boat to row is…I like to row the quad because it´s the fastest sculling boat…

My favourite Olympic moment was…when we crossed the finish line, I thought it might have been a dream…I couldn´t really imagine what happened. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

What does being an Olympic Champion mean to you? For me it is the reward for all the effort and sacrifices, I (and my crew) made. I really appreciate having this (Olympic Champion) title.