The third day in the World Championship pool in Fukuoka begins with a big disappointment for the German swimmers. Even the long-distance national coach cannot explain this.
Olympic champion Florian Wellbrock surprisingly failed in the preliminary heat at the swimming world championships in Japan in the race over 800 meters freestyle.
The 25-year-old scored in Fukuoka after 7:45.87 minutes and finished ninth. Wellbrock was seven hundredths of a second behind in eighth place, which would have been enough for the finale. He was actually considered a medal candidate on the second-longest pelvic distance. Last year he became Vice World Champion in Budapest. In the open water, the native of Bremen had won gold twice in the first week of the World Championships. He is an Olympic champion over ten kilometers.
Lukas Martens wears medal hopes
“I can’t explain that,” said long-distance national coach Bernd Berkhahn. “He was recovered, everything relaxed, no problem. And then he doesn’t really get into his rhythm and in the end there is a time that is seven hundredths too slow.” Berkhahn added: “We have to deal with that first.” Wellbrock himself did not comment on his exit.
The medal hopes of the German swimmers in the final on Wednesday are now carried solely by Lukas Märtens. Wellbrock’s Magdeburg teammate took third place in the heats in 7:42.04 minutes. The Australian Samuel Short secured the victory.
Breaststroker Lucas Matzerath qualified for the semi-finals over 50 meters in seventh place in the heats in 26.94 seconds. In the evening session, freestyle specialist Isabel Gose wants to fight for the medals over 1500 meters.