Two days after his 27th birthday, 49er helmsman Erik Heil and his coxswain Thomas Plößel, 28, will make their Olympic debut on 12 August. The Berlin duo are among the favourites in the men's skiff, and not just because of their third place at the 2015 Olympic test regatta. "We enjoy sailing in difficult conditions," says Heil. This makes the crew, which competes for the Norddeutscher Regatta-Verein, the ideal team for the complex and challenging Olympic course. As a lucky charm, Erik Heil has taken a golden spoon with him to Rio, which Thomas Plößel once gave him. "I always get to eat with it if we come first in the ranking that day," says Plößel with a smile.
New Zealanders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are the top favourites going into the Olympic 49er regatta. The two Kiwis have dominated the world elite in Olympic skiff sailing for almost four years. However, a few weeks ago Olympic champion and America's Cup helmsman Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen managed to beat the Kiwis again after a long dry spell. The Australians caused the surprise in the Rio area of all places shortly before the Olympic regatta at an ideal time for them. Other medal favourites include Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel.
In the same boat for 15 years, internationally successful in the Olympic 49er for eight years: Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel will be hunting for medals in Rio from 12 August.
DSV head coach David Howlett says: "Erik and Thomas delivered when it was important. That's a very important and very useful quality for the Olympic Games. For me, they are among the medal candidates. Their luck: in the 49er, the group of medal contenders is somewhat smaller than in the Laser. The fact that Erik and Thomas love strategic sailing will help them in Rio - see their third place in the Olympic test regatta."
Heil/Plößel narrowly beat their training partners and friends Justus Schmidt and Max Boehme in the highly competitive national elimination round. According to Heil, the "best training group in the world" continued to work together until shortly before the Games. After the games, they want to celebrate what they have achieved together - regardless of the result. Plößel explains: "Erik and I will have been sailing together for 15 years, Justus and Max for ten years. And our training group has existed for five years." Ideally, Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel would like to add further glamour to the happy occasion with a medal. But they also know that their competitors are strong.
The two Berliners really appreciate the 49er. Heil's declaration of love for the speedy projectile: "The 49er is technically demanding, fast, complex and a lot of fun. It challenges you physically and mentally and never gets boring." The coach of the two 2014 European champions is Thomas Rein, who, like his protégés, is ready for the big test under the Sugarloaf Mountain: "I'm here to do my best for my athletes Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel - just like all my team-mates and colleagues. And we want to give our best for the Olympic idea."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
