Günter Schroers

German Manfred Becher first rowed with non-Olympian Wolfgang Koch in the 1950s and continued to do so until Koch died in a motorcycle accident. He then paired with Just Jahn and came in third at the 1960 West German Championships only a few weeks before the Roma Olympics. Jahn, however, was injured only one day before the first round was scheduled, and an abscessed callus caused him to withdraw. Günter Schroers was called in to substitute and race with Becher, but they had little chance, not having trained together, and were eliminated in the semifinals of the double sculls.

Domestically, Schroers won the 1959 West German coxless fours title, and took silver at the Europeans that year. In 1960 he finished runner-up at the German nationals with the eights, and in 1961 again won the coxless fours title and added a bronze at the Europeans. In 1964 he won another West German title and finally took the European one. Schroers competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with the coxless fours, where the crew was one of the favorites, but finished a disappointing sixth. In 1967 he was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, the highest West German sports award.