The German men’s eight suffered a blow ahead of Thursday’s repechage races at the Paris Olympics when stroke Mattes Schönherr had to withdraw due to illness. Torben Johannesen is to take Schönherr’s place in the crucial position as the team aims for a place in the final. The top four from the repechages advanced. The German eight want to medal at the fourth straight games, following gold in London 2012, and silver at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.