Bulging treasure chest: Canoe showcase figure Sebastian Brendel. – Sports

If you will, Sebastian Brendel is still a bit behind the times. At least on his own homepage. “With Tokyo in view and the paddle in hand, I’m heading for my third Olympic Games,” it says under the heading: Sebastian Brendel – that’s me! And further: “On the way to the land of ‘the rising sun’ there are still big tasks ahead of me.” The sun was shining in Tokyo, where canoeist Brendel completed his third Olympic Games a year ago, and at least bronze for him – thanks to third place in a pair with Berlin’s Tim Hecker. But in the one-canoe, in which Brendel had previously won Olympic gold in London and Rio, the 34-year-old was eliminated in the semi-finals. for Brendel, the Medal collector of German canoeing, that wasn’t something he would necessarily show off with. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t updated his homepage yet.

The 1.92 meter tall and 92 kilogram flagship figure of German canoeing can now make up for that. At the World Championships for racing canoeists in Halifax, Canada, the three-time Olympic champion won gold in the canoe doubles over 1000 meters on Sunday on Lake Banook – again with Hecker. Mathematically talented observers quickly calculated that this was Brendel’s 13th World Championship title and also his World Championship medal number 24. The family man from the Brandenburg town of Schwedt had previously won numbers 22 and 23 in mixed, where he was in a boat with Sophie Koch (Karlsruhe ) won silver, and secured the 5000 meters (bronze).

“You can toast it with a Canadian beer,” Brendel said on the phone on Monday morning. He reportedly sat down in the hotel lobby for a small breakfast a few hours before the return flight. The night before there was a team meeting at the lake, the national coaches were very satisfied. This is not surprising, because not only Brendel’s record was brilliant this time, but also that of the entire team of the German Canoe Association (DKV). A year before the home World Championships in Duisburg, the canoeists climbed onto the podium 14 times and secured first place in the medal table. Also because the Potsdamers Martin Hiller/Tamas Grossmann had managed the second gold trip for the DKV in a kayak double over 1000 meters.

For Brendel it is also a journey into his own past

For Brendel, the trip to Halifax was also one into his own past. He still knows and appreciates the area, “Here in Newfoundland there is so much water, the people are helpful, the volunteers care, and the conditions on the lake are very fair.” In 2009 he had already been on Lake Banook, as a 21-year-old, it was his first year in a single. He had virtually no experience, but even then he had a lot of strength. In the end it got bronze. “It’s a well-rounded thing now,” says Brendel.

But his story hasn’t been told yet, he would like to add more precious metal to his impressive set of medals “which are stored in a chest at our house”, there will be plenty of occasions in the near future. The European Championships as part of the European Championships are in Munich in less than two weeks, at the Olympic regatta facility, “a beautiful course and great facility that deserves to be used more, especially in international competitions,” as Brendel says . If he defended his title there, it would be Brendel’s 13th European Championship gold. Of course, he doesn’t want to let the World Cup in Duisburg be taken away either, because it’s already been a question of quota places for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. After Tokyo, Brendel avoided a clear commitment to this goal, but now he’s apparently ready for it. “Yes, I want to do that, in a twosome with Tim.” To make the chest even fuller, Brendel’s children no longer use it to play with his medals. Meanwhile, the two win their own in the canoe youth.