Bundesliga: A golden day for MSC – first the European rowing title, then the league victory

On the terrace of the Mühlenberg Sailing Club, the atmosphere amongst the club members on Sunday afternoon by the River Elbe must have been brilliant. There was plenty to celebrate. First of all, Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille have won the 49erFX European Championship in Eckernförde. Almost at the same time, the Bundesliga team were also causing a stir on the Kiel Fjord.

The victory in Kiel means a great deal to the MSC Bundesliga team

MSC helmsman Till Krüger, Laura Bo Voss, Leonie Bergmann and Jasper Thorns won 50 per cent of their races and, with a total of 33 points, secured victory in the event by a five-point margin over the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (38 points). However, as the 2024 German Club Champions from the MSC finished second in the second of the three Bundesliga events held so far had botched it by finishing 16th, they – now back on the rise – have, for the time being, “only” moved up to fifth place in the table. The win in Kiel meant a great deal to the team. Click here for the top-flight results from the weekend.

"This is a massive success for us – we’re really happy." Till Krüger

MSC skipper and strategist Till Krüger said after the victory: “We’ve brought more juniors into the team this year; two of them are completely new to the season, so we’re thrilled that things have gone so well straight away. The conditions in Kiel were perfect – it couldn’t have been better – we had the boat well under control and were fast.”

The eight-time record champions from the North German Regatta Club Meanwhile, with their second-place finish in Kiel, they took the lead in the 1st Bundesliga table. Competing for the NRV were Miklas Schaper, Luisa Kröger, Malte Winkel and Klaas Höpcke. With six race wins, the NRV quartet secured two fewer victories than their Hamburg neighbours from the MSC.

Last-minute comeback: a thrilling finale for the second-tier sides

Third place in Kiel was secured by the team from the Munich Yacht Club (45 points), seven points behind the NRV. The Munich team occupy in the top-flight table in third place in the table at the halfway point of the season, behind the Joersfelder Sailing Club (fourth in Kiel).

The races in Sailing City, Schleswig-Holstein – hosted by the Hotel Kieler Yacht-Club – were blessed with sunshine throughout and light but fair sailing winds. The 18 clubs in each of the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga completed 16 races per team.

​The finale of the second-division matches was a real nail-biter. Ahead of the final race, the Flensburg Sailing Club was still one point ahead of the Ville Sailing Club. With a race win in the final round, SC Ville turned the result around and won the Bundesliga weekend with 35 points, ahead of Flensburg (38 points) and the Konstanzer Yacht Club (42 points). Click here for Kiel’s second division results.

SC Ville’s first-ever Bundesliga win

With nine race wins, SC Ville even surpassed the impressive record set by the first-division champions from MSC. At the start of the season, the club had been in 14th place. In Kiel, the team celebrated their first event victory of the season. This was made possible by coxswain Dirk Strelow, Tom Krell, Ben Krell and Lasse Deges. Click here to the crew lists for all first and second division teams.

SCV team manager and skipper Dirk Strelow was delighted and said at the Bundesliga showdown in Kiel: “We’re absolutely chuffed. We’ve been in the league for so long and this is the first time we’ve won a matchday. This means the promotion places are once again within realistic reach.” Click here to see the league tables after three events.

"It was a fantastic event with absolutely brilliant conditions. I’m really proud of my young team.” Dirk Strelow

The Bundesliga will resume its season from 31 July to 2 August with the fourth event weekend on Hamburg’s Alster. Only the top-flight teams will be competing there at the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein – including the hosts, who are currently top of the table on their home waters. The 2nd Bundesliga will not resume its season until the fifth summit of the season, from 18 to 20 September 2026, on Berlin’s Wannsee. It will then compete alongside the top-flight teams once again.