World University Championships: RUB students brave the cold
In China last year, student elite athlete Tom Tewes had a torrential warm shower. In Rotterdam, the rain was 20 degrees colder - but the six RUB students were still successful.
Both RUB and mascot Ruby kept their fingers crossed - but it wasn't quite enough to win the title. Last summer, Tom Tewes and Henry Hopman won silver with the men's eight of the national student team at the World University Games in Chengdu. While Henry Hopman retired from top rowing, Tom Tewes stayed on the oars and, like the other RUB students Mark Hindrichs, Jannik Metzger, Julian Garth, Kasper Virnekäs for the men's eight and Andrea Aumann for the women's eight, was nominated for the World University Championships in Rotterdam.
The weather on the regatta course could hardly have been worse: cold, wind and rain were a challenge for athletes and organizers alike. On the final day, the races were compressed into a small time slot so that Kasper Virnekäs, who was on the list for both the coxless pair and the eight, had to concentrate on the big boat.
After a commanding victory in the preliminary heat, the men's eight could not quite keep up with the rowers from Austria. Their European neighbors were just under three seconds faster, but the Germans were able to keep the Italians at bay, just as they had done in the preliminary race, and ultimately set off on their journey home with the silver medal proudly around their necks, having warmed up again in the meantime.
