article by Nicola Pucci
Se Andreas Dittmer is considered the dragon of German canoeing, believes there are no objections to be raised beyond a reasonable doubt. Since, in fact, he appeared on the international scene, starting from the Paris World Championships in 1991 when, just over 21 years old, he took bronze in the c-4 500 meters together with Axel Berndt, Sven Montag and Thomas Zereske, and until the day of his last world championship performance ended on the podium, namely the silver in the 500 meters single race in Duisburg, defeated by the Spaniard David Cal, the Teutonic can proudly boast 22 medals, 8 of which are gold (seven in the individual exercise, one paired with Gunar Kirchbach in Mexico City in 1994), to which add 15 at the European Championships. But we need to go further, to deserve the election as immortal of sport in Germany (and beyond), and it is obvious that that extra something can only be guaranteed by the Arengo Olimpico.
In fact, this young boy from Neustrelitz, born in 1972, who began rowing when he was still flying the flag of East Germany, he made his debut at the Games only in the 1996 edition of Atlanta, where he competed with Kirchbach, with which, the year before, at the World Championships in Duisburg, he was third in both the 500 and 1000 metres, defeated by the Hungarians Kolonics/Horvath, as well as by the Moldovans Reneisky/Juravschi (over the short distance) and by the Romanian Borsan/ Glavan (over the double distance). And these are precisely the adversaries that Dittmer and Kirchbach find themselves having to face on August 3, even in the waters of Lago Lanier in the c-2 1000 meters race, scoring the best time in the second heat in 4’00″851, with Borsan/Glavan anticipating the Hungarian couple in the first series. AND the final meets expectations, with the best boats giving life to a close battle which sees the Romanians hold the lead of the race up to 750 metres, with the German pair chasing even from the last position. Dittmer and Kirchbach change gear in the last quarter of the race, making a furious comeback that allows them to overtake Borsan and Glavan right at the finish line, credited with the silver medal with 424 thousandths of a delay, with Kolonics and Horvath third at 644 thousandths. And if the following day the German pair are bitter about their final fourth place in the c-2 500 metres, at a distance from the Hungarians and the Moldovans Reneisky/Juravschi but beaten in the fight for bronze by the other Romanians Andriev/Obreja, Dittmer will have the opportunity to redeem the disappointment. Starting your own business.
In Sydney 2000, in fact, the German is present for the two singles races, thanks to the world championship gold in the 1000 meters in Dartmouth in 1997and the silver and bronze in the two races won both in Szeged in 1998 and in Milan in 1999. On 30 September, at Sydney International Regatta Centre, Dittmer takes up the challenge thrown to him by the Canadian Steve Giles and the Russian Maksim Opalev, who at the last two editions of the World Championships succeeded him in the roll of honor of the c-1 1000 meters race, but the range of medal contenders is wide, with the Bulgarian Nikolay Bukhalov, Olympic champion in Barcelona, also taking part in the match in 1992, and the Czech Martin Doktor, also holder of the five-ring title. AND if Doktor closes behind Dittmer (author of the new Olympic record with a time of 3’53″962) the second heat, in the first the Cuban Ledis Balceiro, second behind Giles at the Pan American Games, advances his candidacy for the podium beating Giles and forcing Opalev, Bukhalov and the Hungarian Gyorgy Zala (third in both Barcelona and Atlanta) to have to go through the repechage, which promoted the Russian to the final but definitively rejected the Bulgarian and the Hungarian. In the final Dittmer plays the part of the absolute dominator, taking command of the race from the start and finally crossing the finish line in 3’54″379, with Balceiro anticipating Giles for the other two medal placings.
Third in the c-1 500, beaten by Kolonics and Opalev, Dittmer, who in the following four years he won three consecutive world titles in the c-1 1000 meters (Poznan 2001 ahead of Doktor, Seville 2002 ahead of Opalev, Gainesville 2003 beating the Spanish Cal), as well as a gold also in the c-1 500 meters (again in Gainesville 2003 when he got the better of Opalev), puts his Olympic title up for grabs in Athens in 2004, but has to give in to Cal’s desire to take revenge for his World Cup defeat. Dittmer, August 27 at Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centreit’s silver, but the next day he is ready for the c-1 500 meters race, where he shares the underdogs with the Spaniard and Opalev. In fact, the three expected protagonists are already the fastest in their respective batteries, having to watch out for the usual Doktor and the Belarusian Aliaksandr Zhukouski, but in the final, if Opalev rows at a distance, saving the bronze by just 136 thousandths from the assault of Zhukouski himself, Dittmer redeems the defeat of 24 hours earlier by managing to overtake Cal just enough, or 340 thousandths, to take the third medal around his neck gold in three consecutive editions of the Olympics.
Four years later the German will still be in the water, in Beijing 2008, not finishing higher than eighth place in the c-1 1ooo meters race. But what he won before is enough and more to consider him the dragon of German canoeing.