Lucas Schäfer Wins Bronze at the European Championships in the Lightweight Quadruple Sculls

The German lightweight four, featuring Lucas Schäfer (RuS Steinmühle), had no chance at first or second place in the final of the European Championship sprint race, but they were determined to secure third place. Although the German boat had to go through the repechage, a third-place finish behind the Swiss and the British was already a foregone conclusion.

After a steady race in which the German boat held third place from the start, things got exciting again at the end when they had to fend off an attack by the Dutch, who reached the highest speed of any boat over the final 500 meters.

In the end, there was great joy on the boat when the bronze medal was secured and the hard work of the past weeks of training was rewarded.

The Rotsee Regatta (May 19–22) will show just how far the four-man crew has come on its path to the top—and to Rio. There, they’ll be competing against the world’s best.

You can watch the European Championship final at: http://www.eurovisionsports.tv/fisa/#dm9kOzE4NzU3

Photo credit: worldrowing.com