Jeannine Gmelin, the 2017 skiff world champion, is ending her career as a rower for good.
In an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency, the 34-year-old from Zurich talks about the reasons for her final retirement from rowing, what she is most proud of about her career and her next plans.
Jeannine Gmelin, you have decided to retire from rowing for good. Why?
"I have the feeling that I've exhausted everything. I don't see that I can develop much further in rowing. That's the crux of the matter for me. Further development keeps me on my toes, trying something where I feel I can get something out of it and learn and challenge myself. This is no longer possible in rowing in the way I would like it to be. The joy and passion would therefore suffer, which I wanted to avoid at all costs. I still enjoy rowing, but I no longer want to spend 20 hours a week on the water."
So the decision was easy for you?
"You could say that. It's certainly not as if I made the decision overnight, but it was a clear decision. The feeling made it easy for me."
How important was it for you to try and take part in the Olympic Games in Paris after your first withdrawal in January 2023 due to the unexpected death of your coach and partner Robin Dowell?
"That was extremely important to me. It's the key element that I can take this courageous step today. Thanks to this lap of honor, I was able to say goodbye on my own terms, so to speak, the decision came from within and not due to circumstances."
What makes you most proud when you look back on your career?
"Definitely the consistency. I was always among the top 5 in the world for about six years. Not many people managed that."
Only a few people thought you could make it to the top of the world, which was also due to your height of 1.70 m, which is not very tall for rowing. Did that spur you on even more?
"It was never a motivation to want to prove anything to anyone. I can say with a clear conscience that I'm not a mega-competitive person per se, but I am very competitive with myself. I had the conviction in me that this was my path and this voice was never silenced. I would have regretted it at some point if I hadn't dared to do it. If it hadn't worked out, I would have been one experience richer. I didn't want to be defined from the outside, I believed in myself."
Can you imagine staying in rowing and passing on your immense experience to the next generation of Swiss Rowing?
"In principle, yes. But the crucial point is that I want to pass on my experience, but it has to be accepted by the other side. This requires an openness and awareness that I honestly don't see at the moment. If someone wants to work with me because they appreciate my values and me, then I'm happy to do so. However, if it's just about ticking a box, then I'm the wrong person. I'm not prepared to invest my energy in something that I don't feel will bear fruit."
Where do you see your immediate future then?
"I want to work with people in the area of personal development, but what exactly that looks like remains to be seen. I'll also be spending time with the Swiss Olympic Athletes' Commission, which is close to my heart. My future will develop into a well-rounded thing on its own."
