Jan Schauble. The new Swiss rowing “chief”.

At 22, Jan Schaeuble has already proven himself to be the new “leader” of Swiss rowing. If he is going to take part in the quad paddles this weekend at the World Cup at the Rothesey, then in the near future he intends to shine in the lightweight twin paddle boats.

Jan Schäuble has shone in this category since the start of the 2022 World Cup. At the end of May in Belgrade, he triumphed alongside Rafael Ahumada. And after three weeks in Poznan, he took third place, this time with Andrey Strosina.

“It certainly isn’t as easy to perform as January. Every speedboat is with him no matter what his partner is. He knows how to adapt very well. He feels very good in the water,” Swiss rowing manager Christian Stover says.

The federation will therefore be at a loss of choice when composing the boats that will represent Switzerland in Europe in Munich in August and then at the World Championships in Racice in September. Jan Schäuble would be his main asset.

RE useful

Gifted, the Nidwalden doesn’t come out of nowhere. His progress in the physical field has remained steady since he completed his School for Elite Athletes Beginners in 2018/19. “This recruiting school gave me a huge boost,” he said in an interview with Keystone-ATS.

But his failure last year was an electric shock. Linked to Andrei Strosina, Jan Schäuble was unable to win his ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. The disappointment was enormous.

“We were not yet ready to take it at a very high level,” he admits. But this failure was a great lesson for us. Without that kick in the back, we certainly wouldn’t have had much success this season,” confirms Nidwalden.

welcome back

The return of Ian Wright to the coaching position last December also had a huge impact on Jan Schäuble. He appreciates the methods of the New Zealander, who led the lightweight coxless quadruple team to the Olympic title in 2016 during his first Swiss rowing stint.

“The training program is very good. Size has become more important. At first it was a challenge, but now everyone is used to it,” explains this hopeful Nidwalden player, who has tried other sports in the past (skiing and tennis) before finally choosing to row .

So Jan Schäuble continues to advance quietly. He sees with good eye the current competition for lightweight double rowboats with young Rafael Ahumada (21) and more experienced Andrei Strosina (25), who will join Team Ruzzi this weekend in this category.

“We are a very good team, and we approach the situation in a purely sporting way. In the second, we may let the training pass from time to time. But in this case, you always have to give your all, making the boat faster,” judges Nidwalden.

unexpected opportunity

In Lucerne, Jan Schäuble will be able to keep an eye on his potential double oar partners. Swiss Rowing has chosen to arrange it in four oars to replace Kai Schätzle, who has not fully recovered from his Covid-19 infection. “The experience will be beneficial for me, as I am light in weight,” he rejoices.

Nidwalden will have plenty of time to prepare for his two summer dates and, above all, the next big goal in his career, the 2024 Paris Olympics. This should be the light weightlifter’s last chance to shine on the Olympic scene.

The lightweight double paddle event could have disappeared from the Olympic program as early as 2024. Jan Schäuble intends to seize this unexpected opportunity: “Our team is young and has a huge margin for improvement. He concludes that our potential is enormous, and I am particularly optimistic.”

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