Olympic Champion Brings Buzz to Mixed 2x

What to Watch on Saturday: Mixed 2x

There’s never a shortage of husband-wife, boyfriend-girlfriend teams in the Director’s Challenge Mixed Double at the Head of the Charles.

But there’s never a couple quite like this one. Rowing fans are familiar with Germany’s Oliver Zeidler. The former competitive swimmer has been a dominant force in international singles racing since bursting on to the scene six years ago.  He is a three-time world champion and the reigning Olympic gold medalist.

His girlfriend and doubles partner in Saturday afternoon’s race is Sofia Meakin of Switzerland, and she can also make the boat go fast. She is a member of the Swiss national team, and went to Paris as the spare for the Swiss quad.

Zeidler and Meakin met in Basel, Switzerland, at the end of 2022 before meeting again at the hotel hosting both the Swiss and German team at a 2023 World Cup event. “That’s where we really met in person,” Zeidler explains. “We had a few chats, and I think there was no day after where I wasn’t in contact with Sofia.”

Oliver Zeidler and Sofia Meakin rig their boat before Friday’s practice row. (Photo by Rachel Bergstein)

In the weeks leading up to their race in here, the couple has been on a road trip to multiple national parks in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. “I think it was the first time in a long time we both had a proper holiday,” said Meakin. “It was very nice to have some time to step back from everything that had happened this last year.” Zeidler agrees. “It was perfect to switch off for a bit,” he said. “I think I will always remember this holiday with Sofia because there were really some views that were the most beautiful I’ve seen in my life.”

After these weeks of rest and relaxation, Zeidler and Meakin are ready to head home and get back to training. “We tried to train together, and it was cool to have this little objective together,” Meakin recalls with a wide smile. “It’s a bit of a joint goal. It’s good to get some motivation, especially after the Olympics,” Zeidler adds.

Zeidler is back at the Head of the Charles for the first time since his break-out year of 2018, when he finished well back in the field, hurt by a lack of course knowledge.  “I’ve been here in 2018 already and I always said I want to come back,” he said. “It’s really about steering a lot here,” Zeidler laughs, “but there’s a lot of people, a huge rowing community, and it’s a fun event. It’s a huge event.”