Tim Ole Naske (GER)

Rising Star – May 2016

Tim Ole Naske has the perfect record. He jumped onto the German junior national team as a 17 year old and took gold in the men’s double sculls. A year later, also as a junior, he won the junior men’s single sculls and in the same year won the Youth Olympic Games single. Then last year Naske moved up to the under-23 team and won again – this time in the under-23 double sculls. Now, as a 20-year-old, Naske is knocking on the door of Germany’s senior team.

I discovered rowing… When I was ten, through a school rowing course. Rowing is the sport that suits me best because I’m mentally very tough and due to the fact that you always win races in your head, I have an advantage in this particular sport.

What keeps me rowing… is the will to find out where my limit is.

The result I am most proud of so far is… the U23 World Championship title in the double with Stephan Riemekasten. We won the race, not because we were best crew, but  because we wanted it more than the other crews.

The most difficult race so far was… the final race at the Junior World Championships in Hamburg 2014 because of the miserable conditions. 

This season I’d like to… participate at the Olympic Games in Rio or, if that doesn’t work out, I would like to get another U23 World Championship title.

My least favourite training session is… ergometer rowing during the winter. My favourite training sessions are swimming, cycling and rowing.

On the erg, my best score is… 6.00,3. Pretty close but it wasn’t fast enough to get under the magical 6 minutes.

I study… Currently nothing! I finished school last year and decided to use this year to concentrate on trying to reach the Olympics before studying.

I’m motivated by… my goals. The only one who can motivate you to get up early in the morning for training is yourself.

My non-rowing friends think that rowing is… time-consuming. But in the same way that I grew up with the sport, they grew up without seeing me that much.

I balanced schoolwork with training by… very good and strict time management.

If I could pick my dream crew for a quad, it would include: Valent Sinkovic, Olaf Tufte and Angel Fournier Rodriguez.

The best thing in my life right now is… that I can focus on my dream of Rio. This wouldn’t be possible without the team behind me which includes my family, my many coaches, Red Bull, and my friends.