Müller wins World Cup regatta
Switzerland's 1996 Olympic champion in the single sculls, Xeno Müller, rowed to victory on Sunday in Vienna to win the World Cup regatta.
Müller crossed the finish line 1.71 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s world champion, Robert Waddel. Third place went to Vaclav Chalupa of the Czech Republic.
The final was held in difficult conditions, with rowers having to battle rain and a head win.
Müller will take part in a race in Amsterdam next weekend before returning home to his family in California to prepare for the Sydney Olympics. The decision means he will miss the World Cup regatta in canton Lucerne in July.
Switzerland’s other teams performed well, with many taking away podium finishes.
In the men’s lightweight doubles event, Switzerland’s Markus and Michael Gier came third after two Italian teams clinched the top positions. In the intermediary class, the Gier brothers came first, securing a position on Switzerland’s Olympic team.
In the women’s double sculls, the Swiss team came third. Kim Plugge and Pia Vogel rowed across the finish line with a time of 8.16 seconds. Not too far ahead were the teams from Romania and China.
Switzerland’s other lightweight doubles crew, Nicolas Lätt and Micheal Bänninger, were once again hit by bad luck. Lätt fell ill with the flu and they were forced to pull out of the event.
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