Marburg. One dragon boat ahead of the competition: at the Pharmaserv Cup in Marburg this year, the "Rohrleger" team from Stadtwerke Gießen did just that. In the racing class, the team prevailed against a total of seven competing boats. After the preliminary round, the 20 paddlers from Giessen initially took third place. This meant qualification for the semi-finals.
The "1911er Lahndrachen" from Marburg were waiting there. In an exciting race, the "Rohrleger" narrowly came out on top - with a lead of just 26 hundredths. The duel with their favourite opponents, the "Schwarze Flotte" from Marburg, then took place in the final of the Pharmaserv Cup. Over the past few years, the two teams had fought it out in several finals to see who had the better technique, more strength and greater endurance. So far, the Stadtwerke Gießen boat has always come out on the short end of the stick. This year, however, the "Rohrleger" brought the challenge cup to Giessen for the first time.
"We finally managed to come out on top. The regular training has paid off. We're already looking forward to the next race," says Andreas Weisbrod from Stadtwerke Gießen. The next duel on the Lahn with the "Black Fleet" from Marburg may take place in just a few weeks - at the 8th Giessen Dragon Boat Cup on 20 August.