Tobias Schadewaldt had imagined his Olympic debut to be very different. He wanted to at least sail into the medal final with his co-sailor Hannes Baumann. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the thought of more, the dream of an Olympic medal. But then the duo from Kiel hit the bottom of the Olympic reality: After a premature start in the opening race that was recognised too late and two capsizes on the second day, the planing dinghy with the black, red and gold flag in the sail only sailed behind the field of 20 49ers. Not even the pessimists would have expected 17th place after eight races. Especially not Schadewaldt/Baumann.
But instead of hiding away and taking the pain of his thoroughly botched Olympic debut out on himself, the 27-year-old native of Wilhelmshaven shows greatness and the ability to recognise the better performances of his opponents: "They're too good and we're too bad."
The German team - and this is nothing new - lacks the strength to fight and nerves. The communication on board, the processes during the manoeuvres - there is a little bit of a problem everywhere. But even a little is too much if you want to compete with the concentrated world elite of the 49er professionals.
The battle for medals at an Olympic regatta is tantamount to exposure. Only the truly best in all areas - including physical fitness, boat handling, tactical skills and technological requirements as well as mental strength - can prevail at the pinnacle. "It's much tougher than I imagined, they are all much better than I thought," admits Tobi Schadewaldt candidly. The management student wanted to "sail a really good regatta" with his co-sailor Hannes Baumann and has so far been further away from this than he has been for a long time. "Kraftwerk", as the German 49 is called, does not live up to its name.
The fact that Schadewaldt was struggling with the consequences of a food allergy at the start of the series and was more out of sorts than on the 49er on the first two days made things even more difficult for the Olympic novice. "I was less agile than usual, not really on the water at all. I didn't have enough fun on the water. I simply lacked the lightness of being," muses the 2011 Kieler Woche winner, whose girlfriend Moana Delle manages the exact opposite in the Olympic area: the 23-year-old races from one successful race to the next on her RS:X board with great feelings of happiness. Schadewaldt has long since realised: "I didn't manage our problem situation well."
It pains him to realise that "Hannes and I could very well be sixth or seventh here, but we're simply not performing to our potential". It hurts twice as much, because the constant fresh winds off Weymouth have been the German 49er crew's favourite conditions since the start of the regatta. At the same time, Schadewaldt pays tribute to the leading teams. Especially the front runners Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen from Australia. "They are sailing in a world of their own, far removed from everyone else," says the thoughtful Kiel helmsman, "it's as if Nathan and Iain are sailing America's Cup and the rest of the fleet is sailing 49ers."
Including today's three races, the Kielers still have seven races left to fight their way out of the valley of tears and back into an acceptable range. They will not give up. "We can no longer sail all the way to the front," says Schadewaldt, "but we want to fight and be able to enjoy ourselves again. I want to see the Olympic flame and love the fact that I can compete at the Olympic Games. That's important to me, and we'll achieve that."
