Florian Wellbrock was condemned to watch at the edge of the pool. The 27-year-old won what was probably his most unusual swimming medal at the Short Course World Championships: not in the water, but in the stands, he smiled about silver on Tuesday.
Wellbrock finished in the 1500 meter freestyle in Budapest in the morning after 14:17.27 minutes. Before the last run in the evening, which Wellbrock followed in his tracksuit, he didn’t know what this time was worth. In the end only one was faster. The Tunisian Ahmed Jaouadi secured gold just ahead of Wellbrock.
Wellbrock: “That wasn’t to be expected at first”
“That wasn’t to be expected at first because I took quite a long break after the Olympic Games – which was also important.”said Wellbrock to the ARD radio, satisfied after his strong race in his time. Before the decisive run, he explained to the audience in the hall from his seat: “It’s strange sitting here.” It was shown again and again while Jaouadi was swimming.
Unusual mode
In major title competitions such as the Olympics, preliminary heats usually take place in which the swimmers can qualify for a final. At the World Championships on the 25-meter track, things are different this time on the longest distances. Each athlete only has one chance to deliver a fast time. Because Wellbrock hasn’t swum any short course races recently and therefore couldn’t show a quick registration time, he was already challenged in the morning.
Gose sixth in the 400 m freestyle
Isabel Gose came sixth in the 400 m freestyle final in Budapest. In 3:56.84 minutes, the Olympic bronze medalist significantly improved her German record (3:58.91) from 2019. In addition, Marius Kusch (21.99 seconds) qualified for the final on Wednesday (6:42 p.m.) in the 50 m butterfly. Olympic champion Lukas Märtens is not starting in Budapest. The 22-year-old, who won gold in the 400 m freestyle in Paris in the summer, had to cancel his participation at short notice due to a cold.