As a medical doctor, Frans Goebel knows about diseases. He
has self-diagnosed his own – rowing. The former lightweight
World Champion from Amsterdam cannot stop himself.
Frans Goebel
© Mark Boom
Since Goebel started rowing as an 11-year-old
he has only ever had two days when he has
not trained. Goebel is now 49. Even injuries
don’t deter the Dutch man. “For most injuries
I keep on rowing. I figure they will improve if
I keep rowing. I think if I got injured and couldn’t
row, I’d go crazy.” The two-time Olympian says
he rowed even the day after competing in the
1992 Olympics.
Goebel got into the sport because, he says, he
didn’t have a talent for other sports. “I played
soccer but wasn’t very good so I was always
the spare.” There was a rowing club in Goebel’s
neighbourhood and after starting he soon
realised if he worked hard he could succeed.
Goebel worked hard but found himself up
against the head coach who believed Goebel’s
technique wasn’t good enough.
But 16–year-old Goebel had decided that he
wanted to race.
“There was a coach that trusted me. This coach
gave me a chance.” Goebel soon became
Dutch champion in the single because, he says,
“I was eager to show I was a good sportsman
and you can show it in the best way in the
single.” Also Goebel believed success would
come from training hard. “In rowing if you train
and train you can get good.” He went on to be
Dutch single champion 12 times.
For just over a decade, Goebel rowed
internationally, changing between heavyweight
and lightweight depending on the situation. He
competed in two Olympic Games and became
World Champion in the lightweight single
in 1990.
Goebel’s natural weight was 80kg so it was hard
work for him to make lightweight (72.5kg) and
his first time rowing lightweight happened
through misfortune. “I got dysentery while
training and lost weight so they changed >
