2024-08-05 18:59:25
Oliver Zeidler won gold in rowing for Germany on Saturday. There were strict rules for the athlete in preparation for the competition.
On Saturday, rower Oliver Zeidler made Olympic history: The 28-year-old won a gold medal for Germany in the single sculls with a time of 6 minutes and 37 seconds. The last time Thomas Lange achieved this was at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He was able to count on the support of his girlfriend Sofia Meakin, with whom he has been in a relationship for around a year. She also helped him with the preparations – but the couple had to forego physical proximity.
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Sofia Meakin is also a rower and is competing for Switzerland as a substitute at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Their passion for rowing also led to their paths crossing: the couple met a year ago at a World Cup in Croatia, Oliver Zeidler told the “Bild” newspaper. “Since then we have been in a long-distance relationship. We try to see each other as often as possible and talk on the phone a lot.”
The athlete also stressed that his partner made a major contribution to his gold medal. “Before I met her, I was far too shy, far too focused. She helps me to be more relaxed. And she also had a brilliant idea,” said Oliver Zeidler. Before the race, he was staying in the Olympic Village, while his girlfriend was staying in a hotel with the Swiss team. “When it became clear that she had a single room and air conditioning, I asked my father if I could go to her. I also sent him a photo of the temperature display in the room. It was 29 degrees. No one can sleep there.”
Sofia Meakin adds that they watched films and talked a lot the night before the race – there were strict rules about physical contact beforehand, adds Oliver Zeidler. “This is no joke, we actually had to promise my father not to have sex before the race. He also said: spend time together, but not too wildly.”