Results of the 2025 German Sprint Rowing Championships in Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden-Schierstein, October 10–12, 2025. The Wiesbaden-Schierstein marina transformed into a bustling center of German rowing last weekend. The championships were organized by the Rowing Club Wiesbaden-Biebrich 1888 At the 2025 German Sprint Championships, athletes from all over Germany engaged in thrilling duels. Among them were athletes from Baldeneysee and Ruhr. On the ultra-short distance of just 350 meters, the focus was on maximum explosiveness, lightning-fast starts, and an uncompromising stroke rate right up to the finish line.

Unlike the classic 1500- or 2000-meter races, where tactics, endurance, and race strategy dominate, in a sprint every hundredth of a second counts from the very first stroke. Anyone who doesn't get up to speed immediately has little chance of fighting their way back. The boats practically shoot across the water, stroke rates exceeding 40 are not uncommon – a spectacle for spectators and a physical and mental challenge for the rowers. Anyone wanting to know which boat crossed the finish line first had to position themselves right at the line.

And even then, it was often barely discernible to the naked eye, and the finish line photo had to be enlarged. In the Junior B (15 and 16 years) coxed four, the finish line resulted in a dead heat, thus creating two German Sprint Champions: the Frankfurt Rowing Club Germania with Jan Jasper Kewitz, Konstantin Muthesius, Noah Röske, Oskar Dietrich, and coxswain Emilia Kratz, and the Essen Rowing Regatta Club with Leo Maximilian Rosenbaum, Daniel Niedergethmann (both RaB), Kosmo Killmann (EWRC), Tom Horstmann, and coxswain Hannah Sievert (both KRG). The athletes from Essen had already become NRW State Champions twice the previous weekend on Elfrather Lake in Krefeld, impressively demonstrating their coordination, fitness, and skill.

Friday was all about the heats and the first repechages. With late summer temperatures and good water conditions, the Schierstein harbor presented itself as the perfect stage for the 2025 German Sprint Championships. The level of competition was particularly impressive in the junior women's and men's categories. It became clear even in the heats: The young rowers from Baldeneysee and the Ruhr club were among the top contenders. Kettwig – united under the banner of the Essen Rowing Regatta Club (ERRV) – would have a significant say in the title race. Several of the Essen athletes won their heats and thus advanced directly to the A final, without having to take the energy-sapping detour through the repechages.

Saturday began with a setback: Dense early morning fog settled like a veil over the harbor. Visibility was reduced to just a few meters in some places – regular racing was out of the question. The race organizers reacted prudently and postponed the start by two hours as a precaution. This meant a tightly scheduled timetable, racing until dusk, and an awards ceremony under floodlights in damp, cold temperatures.

Despite the adverse conditions and nerve-wracking time difference, the athletes displayed remarkable composure. Everything was on the line in the repechages and semifinals. The junior races, in particular, were fiercely contested. By the time the last race of the day started, dusk had already fallen. Due to the tight schedule, the medal ceremonies were postponed until the evening after the races and took place under floodlights. The evening ceremony became a truly memorable moment, with exhausted but happy faces reflected in the floodlights. For the ceremony and the awards photos, the athletes only briefly removed their warm jackets, trousers, and hats.

On Sunday, several semifinals of particularly competitive races, such as the Junior Men's Double Sculls (JM 2x), Junior Men's Double Sculls A, Junior Men's/Women's Quadruple Sculls B, as well as the A and B finals in numerous race categories, were on the program. The weather was once again on its best side, and the paths along the regatta course were lined with numerous spectators. The junior rowers of the ERRV and the clubs Baldeneysee and Ruhr crowned their strong overall performance with a veritable shower of medals: Of a total of 18 German Sprint Championship titles awarded in the junior category for 2025, seven (!) alone went to Essen – impressive proof of the top talent and excellent youth development work at Baldeneysee and Ruhr.

Beta van Emmerich (ETUF), Carolina Guerra Gonzalez (RaB), Tom Horstmann, coxswain Hannah Sievert (both KRG), and Kosmo Killmann (EWRC) secured an impressive three gold medals, thus winning three German Sprint Championship titles. Sofia Reineke, Caroline Köhler, Jule Sander, Lotte Heseding, coxswain Moritz Döppner, Lea Bauer, Luisa Westerwick, Daniel Niedergethmann (all RaB), and Era Lubisch (EWRC) each became German Sprint Champions twice – once as rowers and once as coxswains. Lars Lubisch (EWRC) replaced the ailing Leo Maximilian Rosenbaum (RaB) in the Junior B coxed quadruple sculls. Both athletes also returned as German Sprint Champions for 2025. Baldeneysee back. These names – alongside the successful athletes from all other parts of the country – shaped the weekend not only because of their medals, but also through their presence on the water: focused, technically strong and with an unbridled will to win.

In addition to the junior rowers, the senior rowers also enjoyed success. In the SF4x boat class, the Kettwig Rowing Club (KRG) triumphed with Frida Weiler, Julia Stoeber, Lena Siekerkotte, and Lea Schneider. Irma Schimmele and Pia Kleine-Möllhoff from the Rowing Club am Baldeneysee secured the 2025 German Championship title in the SF2-. Lena Siekerkotte of the KRG was victorious in the single sculls (SF 1x) and was awarded the gold medal.

The 2025 German Sprint Rowing Championships in Wiesbaden-Schierstein were a resounding success – both in terms of the sport and the atmosphere. The sprint format remains a fascinating contrast to classic rowing and offers a stage to showcase speed, technique, and team spirit. Essen rowing clubs The rowers from Baldeneysee and Ruhr have impressively demonstrated what is possible when talent, training, and teamwork come together. Representing their own clubs and the combined flag of the ERRV, they not only collected medals but also sent a strong message for the future of German rowing. Baldeneysee.Ruhr congratulates all medal winners.

The 30th German Sprint Championships 2026 will take place from October 9th to 11th, 2026 in Essen. The event will be hosted by the Kettwig Rowing Regatta Club.