The German Rowing Association mourns Peter-Michael Kolbe, one of its most successful rowers and a legend in German sports. The 70-year-old passed away on Friday after a serious illness at a nursing home in Lübeck. Between 1975 and 1986, Kolbe became a five-time world champion in the single scull and won three Olympic silver medals.
Growing up in Hamburg, he became involved in rowing at an early age, learning the sport at Hammerdeicher RV, where he achieved numerous successes in his youth. Alongside his training as a telecommunications fitter, he always found time for competitive sports, primarily achieving countless successes in the single scull at the national level. It was no surprise that he won his first World Championship title in the men’s single scull in 1975, a feat that was rewarded with the title of Sportsman of the Year later that year—an honor not yet bestowed on any other individual rower.
In the following years, Kolbe managed to balance his personal life and competitive sports. He also achieved success in sweep rowing boats, somewhat incorporating this effort into his single scull training. In 1974, he won bronze in the coxed four at the World Championships (among others with Johann Färber). In 1978, he became German champion in the eight, and in 1979, he won the coxless four.
For love, he moved to Norway, later returning briefly to start another education in Hamburg before permanently moving to Oslo in 1982 with his Norwegian wife and son.
Despite his emigration, he remained loyal to the German Rowing Association (DRV) and continued to compete for Germany in the single scull. He went on to win four more world titles in this boat class in 1978, 1981, 1983, and 1986.
Legendary Duels with Karppinen
Naturally, he also competed in the single scull at the Olympic Games. In 1976 and 1984, he was defeated in the final by the Finn Pertti Karppinen, and in 1980, he was denied participation due to the Olympic boycott. After Karppinen’s retirement, German rowing fans anticipated Kolbe’s moment of glory, but another German star emerged. Thomas Lange won the final for East Germany in Seoul in 1988, leaving Peter-Michael Kolbe with another “only” a silver medal. Three Olympic participations, three silver medals—a more than notable success, unfairly overshadowed by the label of the “eternal second.”
Controversial discussions about doping arose in 1976 due to the so-called “Kolbe injection,” a “vitamin injection” consisting of legal ingredients that Kolbe received before the final of the Olympic Games to counter signs of a cold. When he lost despite an initial lead against the still unknown Karppinen, some attributed the reason to the administration of the medication. Not only the responsible sports physicians but also the World Rowing Federation approved the use of the substance and confirmed that it was not a prohibited manipulation. Even years later, Kolbe was disturbed that the injection was associated with his name and doping.
Four Years as DRV Sports Director
In the spring of 1989, Peter-Michael Kolbe ended his competitive sports career, accompanied for many years by Jürgen Düse, a true Hamburger like P.M.K. himself. As an athlete, he was known as a critical thinker who did not shy away from discussions with the association’s officials, sometimes following his own path in a somewhat eccentric manner. In 1990, he switched sides and served as the sports director of the German Rowing Association until 1994. This period coincided with the reunification of the two German rowing associations and the merger of two different competitive sports systems—a challenging time where he made some controversial decisions that were deemed necessary for the merger and received support from those who understood the circumstances. The results of the 1992 Olympic Games made it clear.
After the end of his first marriage, Kolbe permanently returned to Germany in 2005, initially living in Hamburg. In 2011, he married his former national team colleague Karin Kaschke and moved with her to Lübeck.
In 2016, after many more accolades, Peter-Michael Kolbe was honored with a very special distinction. He was inducted into the “Hall of Fame of German Sports,” where, alongside him, only four other rowers—Karl Adam, Dr. Thomas Lange, Gustav Schäfer, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans Lenk—have found a place.
Involved in a Cycling Accident
In Lübeck, Peter Michael Kolbe naturally found a new rowing home at the Lübecker Ruder Klub, which he gladly utilized. He also frequently took to the canoe club nearby! The Deutsche Sporthilfe Foundation provided him with a good racing bike, which he increasingly exchanged for rowing and canoeing. Unfortunately, he was hit by a car during one of his tours through Lübeck and was severely injured, being taken to the hospital. Despite the caring support of a rowing friend, he did not recover from this incident.
The last years of his life were spent in seclusion in Lübeck due to illness, where he passed away at the age of 70.
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