Retirement Means No Fifth Olympics for Hajek

Hajek on his farewell tour
© FISA

Retirement.

Twenty-six years of rowing and twenty years on the national team, three Olympic medals, five World Championships titles and two sons later 36-year-old Hajek is hanging up his sculls.

?I have a very understanding wife,? says Hajek of his long career and 15-year marriage.

Currently on his ?farewell tour? Hajek followed the German retirement tradition of racing in the single at the Henley Royal Regatta in Great Britain. He also has a 120km cycle race planned and will top off the farewell tour with the Armada Cup at the end of October.

This programme leaves little time for personal interviews especially as Hajek was already asked to help out the Leipzig 2012 Olympic Games bid (since unsuccessful) and the German rowing federation also has plans to use his experience and popularity.
 

Hajek in full possessed action
© Getty Images

The Hajek record speaks for itself. Beginning in the former East Germany Hajek was already a successful rower before unification. His career started at the top as junior World Champion in the single and entered the Olympic realm as team spare in 1988. Hajek then went on to win back-to-back golds at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics in the quad. He then switched to the double and added bronze to his Olympic collection in 2000 and this year he was aiming for his fifth Olympics but chose to retire.

?I really wanted to participate in my fifth Olympics and I wanted to be successful,? says Hajek. ?But I was sick with bronchitis and didn't do well in selection, so that (success) wouldn't have happened.?

In between Olympic winnings Hajak has achieved eight World Championship medals, five of them gold with the peak of his career running through the late 1990s.

?That was a very strong period for me,? says Hajek. ?There was a core group of three of us. We were always racing in different combinations.? Hajek held the World Championship title in the double from 1997 until 1999. ?When this combination changed and other rowers were tried we started to be unsuccessful,? says Hajek who credits Stefan Volkert as being part of his favourite boat. ?We were dangerous? says Hajek with a smile.

He plans to stay involved in rowing at the club level and with his 15-year-old son now stepping into his father's shoes it is likely Hajek will very much stay involved. ?He will take part as a junior,? says Hajek, ?and he will win.?  

?He has always played a big role in the team spirit-wise,? says German media officer Cora Zillich. ?He's definitely a character.?

Ask any teammate and they will say, ?Er ist geil." He's the coolest.