As rower Roland Böse of Binger RG fell ill with angina after the heats, Niko Ott replaced him in the final of the Deutschland-Achter (German Eights) in Mexico City, and won a gold medal. Ott was on the way back from the cinema to the Olympic Village, when his coach asked him to participate in the eights final. Ott presented the gold medal consequently to Böse, but Ott received a copy from the IOC shortly after the Games. This crew was named Team of the Year in 1968 and was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sport award. The crew then carried the Olympic Flag into the stadium at the 1972 München Olympics.
Böse earned his first merits with non-Olympian Claus Zimmer, winning the 1966 West German national title in the double sculls. In 1967 he moved to the coxless fours and won his second national title. He also entered the Deutschland-Achter of famed German coach Karl Adam and won the European Championships the same year and the 1968 national championship. Böse retired after Mexico City.
West Germany