Although hopeful, Sofia Meakin rows for hours on the lake: “I have never been attracted to water.”

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

It is the fusion of strength and coordination – the combination of struggle, technique and elegance. The narrow boat glides over the waves as if it were floating. Pierre de Coubertin, inventor of the modern Olympic Games, said: “Rowing should become the favorite sport of our young people, because no other sport gives them the physical and moral values ​​they need: energy, initiative, strength and health. “

Rowing is Sofia Meakin’s sport. The 25-year-old from Geneva with an English father and an Italian mother is one of Switzerland’s great prospects. At the World Championships in Belgrade in September she competed in the double sculls with Salome Ulrich from Lucerne.

Meakin trains about 36 hours a week – three sessions a day. There is only a break on Sundays. “I currently live 100 percent for the sport,” says the graduate of the Lausanne Hotel Management School. She sees rowing as more than just strength: “You have to feel the boat, the water and your teammate – and your own body.” She has always loved competing. Her former passion, horse riding, was not physically demanding enough. When she talks about her passion for rowing, the word ‘feeling’ comes up again and again: This is even more important because you sit backwards in the boat while rowing. “Because you can’t see the target, the feeling is crucial.”

Batswoman in the foursome

When she is in a foursome with Lisa Lötscher, Fabienne Schweizer and Salome Ulrich, Meakin leads the team as batswoman. In this role she determines the frequency, or the rhythm with which the paddles dive into the water. And this despite the fact that it was certainly not her passion for the wet element that brought her to rowing: “I was never particularly attracted to the water,” she says in the video.

She is now in a duo. The search for team compositions is currently central to the association’s performance center in Sarnen: “The big goal is to bring all six women to Paris.” There is no doubt in her mind that she is there: “I feel strong,” she says with a disarming smile.

Reliability, strength, coordination. For Meakin, these properties are also essential in a car: “The connection between them gets you to your destination safely and quickly.” When she talks about her car – the Opel Mokka – she becomes almost euphoric: “Since I got this car, I have saved a lot of time and nerves.” From Sarnen she can be home in Geneva in three and a half hours: “Of course, taking into account the speed limit.” The large boot and spacious interior (the rear seat folds 40:60, giving you the perfect way to load your gear) even have room for the oars – and the roof can also carry a boat .

The journey from Central Switzerland to Lake Geneva is no problem thanks to the next generation battery technology: the range is up to 374 km on just one charge. And if you need to charge it while on the road, you can reach up to 80 percent of the range within 30 minutes via fast charging.

Certainly attractive for an athlete who trains so much: the seats have a massage function, allowing you to relax while driving after training. And the steering wheel is electrically heated. Handy because a rower has to go out on the lake even in bad weather.

“Rowing is my life”

The cheerful woman’s goal is the 2024 Summer Games in Paris – the road to it is tough and sometimes monotonous. The days are similar: “Train, eat, sleep.” That sounds boring, she says: “But rowing is my life right now – and the harder I work, the greater the satisfaction I get when I achieve a goal.”

The most important indicator are the ergometer tests on Monday, where the athletes have to reach their full potential in 30 minutes. The tests provide supervisory staff with important information about performance levels. Meakin currently spends most of his time in Sarnen.

But she feels at home on Lake Geneva, at her rowing club Club d’Aviron Vésenaz. It was her twin brother David who introduced her to rowing: “He learned about this sport in England – and convinced me to join him.” An event that changed her life: “I immediately loved it – first of all the atmosphere in the club and the team spirit. My sister Chiara also got carried away. She now rows in the US.”

For Sofia Meakin, rowing is much more than a sport – it is a passion, a lifestyle and a focal point in her daily life. And her Opel Mokka helps her balance her time management. “We are a perfect team,” says Sofia Meakin – meaning her colleagues at the rowing center, but also herself and her car.

Source : Blick