OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY – The U21 team of the diving sports department (TSA) at the Sterkrade 1869 gymnastics club has been crowned German champion in underwater rugby for 2025. the victory came at the German Youth and Junior Championships held in Göttingen at the end of September, where the SG Oberhausen-Sterkrade syndicate demonstrated complete dominance, winning all five tournament games and conceding only one goal.
The team’s path to the championship began with a decisive 8-0 victory over Pößneck, followed by a 9-1 win against host team SG Göttingen/Bremen. Their final preliminary round game against Würzburg, considered their toughest challenge, ended in a 6-0 win, securing first place in the group with a total score of 23-1.
In the semifinals, the team faced Pößneck again, winning 7-0 to advance to the final. There, they met Würzburg in a closely contested match. Despite a stronger showing from Würzburg compared to the preliminary round, the Oberhausen U21s ultimately prevailed with a 3-0 victory, claiming the championship title.
“The team implemented what we set out to do convincingly. I am very proud of this team. We are already looking forward to the next tournaments,” said coach Lukas Nierhaus.
The championship team comprised players from multiple clubs, including: Alina Laxy (1. Paderborner SV), Benjamin Rost (DUC cologne), Eric Peters (TSC Münster), Henning Jakobs (Duisburg SSC), Jakob Schluchter (TSA Sterkrade), Jari Pazic (TSA Sterkrade), linus Grobbel (1. Paderborner SV),Marvin Marciniak (TSA Sterkrade),Mirza Hasan Dil (TSC Mülheim),Finnley Benschulenburg (TSA Sterkrade),Rico Wick (1. Paderborner SV), sila Yavuz (TSA Sterkrade), Theodor Eng (TSC Rostock 1957), and Veit Thorben Hammacher (TSA Sterkrade).
TSA Sterkrade is actively seeking young talent to join their underwater rugby program,offering training for age groups starting around eleven years old. More information is available at www.tsa-sterkrade.de.
