Apostolos and Nikolaos
Gkountoulas were part of the
crew who won the under- 23
World Championship title in the
lightweight men’s four in 2007.
“We were raised to care for each other and
stick together. We never get sick of each other.”
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But when siblings have to compete against each
other, as they do when going through selection
trials, they also know how to keep priorities
straight.
” Then the result is what counts, not the brother
thing,” says Tomaz Pirih.
Luka Spik, who currently rows with his brother
Jan in Slovenia’s men’s double, agrees: “What
happens on the water stays on the water. We try
to focus on the rowing and on the result. That is
the most important. If my brother goes faster in
the double with someone else, then he should
row with that person.”
© © 2007 Julian Finney/Getty Images
Germany’s lightweight men’s four has
two pairs of brothers on board: twins
Jochen and Martin Kuehner and Matthias
and JostSchoemann-Finck. “It is all about
performance and the main aim is to row fast,”
says Jochen Kuehner. “Statistically chances are
not very high for two Schoemann-Fincks to
make it to the Olympics at the same time, or
even in the same boat,” Matthias points out,
adding that he was happy for his brother Jost
who made last year’s Olympic four although he
did not. “If one of us is performing better than
the other, the other one is very supportive.”
Vincent and Tycho Muda, on the other hand, not
only set their goals together but also choose to
reach them together: “If one of us does not make
it through selection, neither of us will go.”
Yes, it is clear that a strong bond unites these
siblings, but does rowing together present an
advantage?
Apostolos and Nikolaos
Gkountoulas from Greece.
“We get our strength from rowing together.
Knowing each other well and having the
same physique makes our pair strong,” says
Ross James. “It is great to have a brother there.
It means there is always somebody backing
you up and there is always a friend around,”
says his brother Grant. “Having Ross there helps
me get better. We have a friendly competition
against each other which helps us keep
improving.”
“Our character traits complement each other
perfectly and we can really rely on each other.
Knowing each other as well as we do helps,” >
