Q&A with Olympic and World Champion Olli Zeidler

In the summer of 2025, we had the honour of hosting German rower, Mr Olli Zeidler, at our humble training ground - Pandan Reservoir.

Our rowing community was noticeably in awe of the World and Olympic champion, who was doing his Henley Regatta preparations on our choppy waters.  

Mr Zeidler, who spent a month in Singapore for his IMD Business School Master's Programme, was joined by Ms Sofia Meakins, Swiss rower and Olympian, who joined the National Team ladies for a water session in the double scull. Mr Zeidler and Ms Meakins engaged deeply with the rowing community in Singapore, even joining the NUS Rowing Club for dinner at Lau Pa Sat, where they shared their rowing experiences. 

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Together with the rowing community, we have compiled a list of questions for Mr Olli Zeidler:

Rowing in Singapore
Q: What are your impressions of the rowing scene here at Pandan Reservoir?
A: I’m impressed by the dedication of the local rowing community, especially given the heat and difficult conditions. There’s a clear passion for the sport, and it’s great to see it in this part of the world.

Q. What’s it like rowing at Pandan Reservoir compared to the venues you typically train at in Europe? How would you rank Singapore against the other venues?
A: Pandan is very different: warm, humid, no straight buoylines and a shorter length, but it's a unique challenge and with a few changes a good place to prepare for the LA 1500m racing. While it may not match the natural beauty and professional setup of places like the Rotsee or my home course in Munich, the fast and tricky water make it a solid training venue.

Q: What has surprised you the most about rowing in Singapore?
A: Like everywhere in Singapore, the people are very nice, the rowers were super supportive and motivated to train, which is great to see as rowing is a sport that is not that well known world wide but obviously builds a strong community. 

Q:. What are your thoughts on other forms of rowing, like beach sprint, coastal rowing or even sweep? Would you venture into those forms?
A: I like the tradition of rowing and that’s why I will stick to the flat water rowing but watch the developments of the other sports closely, even if I doubt that I will ever compete in the new formats as I am already one of the older generation now

Q. ⁠Is there a message you'd like to share with the rowing community in Singapore?
A: I really enjoyed my time with you and hope to be able to come back when your new center is built.

Questions from the rowing community
Q: What is your diet during racing weeks? (Patrick Heuberger, 50yo)
A: I try to eat less fat and only food that gives me a light feeling and is easy to digest. Very basic oat meals, pasta/rice and protein are the foundation of my race week diet

Q. What does your race preparation look like? (M, 28yo)
A: Each season I try to peak towards world champs, so I want to be able to race 4 times 2k as efficient and fast as possible over one week. This is exactly what I practice in training, a lot of high intensity 2k trainings with different tactics to stress my body and mind in different ways to be prepared for what’s coming up in the regatta

Q: How long do you think you will continue to row? (M, 28yo)
A: I think that the Olympics 2028 will be one of my last if not the last race

Q. Who do you think has the best rowing stroke and why? (Tim Glover, 55yo)
A: Sverri Nielsen had a very nice rowing technique, he was very clean and powerful through his stroke. I admired how he made the boat go fast and challenged me even if he was a lot smaller athlete than me

Q. What kind of psychological/mental strategies do you use to push through, during high intensive training on the ergo and water? (Neil Vijayan, 21yo)
A: I always try to focus on my race plan or the training plan. Having a clear plan in mind through the session is a good anker. Setting motivational milestones in the way make the distance or time shorter. Everything what distracts your from the pain is helpful but the mental aspect is also very individual, so my tactics might not work out for everybody

We would like to thank Mr Olli Zeidler for taking the time to answer our questions, and we look forward to watching you at your next races!