Martin Sauer

Martin Sauer (born 17 December 1982) is a German former representative rowing coxswain. He was an eight-time world champion at the senior level and three-time underage world champion. He is a triple Olympian and a triple Olympic medallist. He held his seat as coxswain of the German senior men's eight — the Deutschlandachter — constantly from 2009 to 2021 and steered that crew to their six world championship titles and also when at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II they set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which still the standing world mark as of 2021.

He coxed the German crew which won the gold medal in the men's eight competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he steered Germany's men's eight to their silver medal win. He was selected in the German Olympic rowing squad for Tokyo 2021 and coxed the men's eight for his third Olympic appearance and his second Olympic silver medal.

Early career Sauer was born in 1982 in Wriezen. His club rowing has been from the Berliner RuderClub in Berlin.

Representative rowing career Sauer's international representative debut was at the junior level, when he won a gold medal in the German junior men's eight at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2000 in Zagreb. He moved in to the German lightweight men's eight for the 2001 season and they finished in overall ninth place at the 2001 World Rowing Championships.

After his first Olympic success, Sauer remained constant in the German eight who since 2010 have been strong, permanent rivals against the British men's eight. From 2013 to 2015, the German team won gold each year at the European Rowing Championships but come the World Championship finals, the Great Britain pipped them each time by a margin of less than one second relegating the German eight to three consecutive silver medals.

In 2017 Sauer, Malte Jakschik, Richard Schmidt, and stroke Hannes Ocik were the only members of the German Olympic eight who rowed on. The eight was rebuilt around this stern end brains-trust. Sauer drove them through their dominant season campaign, winning gold at the European Championships, two World Rowing Cups and ultimately at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida where the German eight were once again crowned world champions. In June 2017 at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan they set a new world's best time for the eight, taking 0.67 seconds off a 2012 mark that had been set by Canada. The German crew with every man holding the same seat, continued their European and world dominance throughout 2018 winning at three World Rowing Cups, the 2018 European Championships and then defending their world title at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv. There were a handful of changes to the eight in 2019 but Sauer remained in the stern for another successful international season culminating in his sixth world championship title at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim.

The German men's eight's 2019 performances qualified that boat for Tokyo 2020. By the time of the 2021 selections for those delayed Olympics, Sauer was still in the crew and made his third Olympic rowing appearance for another silver medal win.

Rowing palmares 2000: Eighth place World Rowing Junior Championships – M8+ 2001: Silver medal World Rowing U23 Championships – M4+ 2002: Fifth place World Rowing U23 Championships – M4+ 2003: Gold medal World Rowing U23 Championships – M4+ 2004: Gold medal World Rowing U23 Championships – M8+ 2005: Bronze medal World Rowing Championships – M4+ 2006: Gold medal World Rowing Championships – M4+ 2007: Bronze medal World Rowing Championships – M4+ 2008: Silver medal World Rowing Championships – LM8+ 2008: 4th place European Rowing Championships – M8+ 2009: Gold medal World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2010: Gold medal European and World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2011: Gold medal World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2012: Gold medal London Olympics – M8+ 2013: Gold medal European Rowing Championships – M8+ 2013: Silver medal World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2014: Gold medal European Rowing Championships – M8+ 2014: Silver medal World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2015: Gold medal European Rowing Championships – M8+ 2015: Silver medal World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2016: Silver medal Rio de Janeiro Olympics – M8+ 2017: Gold medal European and World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2018: Gold medal European and World Rowing Championships – M8+ 2019: Gold medal European and World Rowing Championships – M8+