Liebmann Sinks Teammate Schwarz's European 800 Mark In 7:37.94 For All-Time No4 In Textile
German 19-year-old Johannes Liebmann becomes fourth teen ever to break 7:40 after Ian Thorpe (18 in 2001), Sun Yang* (19 in 2011) and Sam Short (19 in 2023)
Fresh from setting the Swim Cup Stockholm on fire with a 14:39 in the 1500m, 19-year-old Johannes Liebmann added more distance freestyle muscle to the Magdeburg Might with a 7:37.64 European record in the 800m in the closing session of finals in the Swedish capital.
The fourth teenager in history to break 7mins 40, Leibmann, coached by Bernd Berkhahn at Germany's distance-program HQ, wiped almost 13 seconds off his best time to rocket from 112th all-time on 7:50.86 to fourth on the all-time rankings.
The new 800 standard fell to Liebmann a year to the day since his training partner and Olympic 400m free champion Lukas Märtens clocked 3:39.96 to become the first swimmer ever to race below 3:40.00 over eight lengths freestyle:
Craig Lord
What a week for Liebmann:
Craig Lord
The European 800 standard had stood to Magdeburg teammate Sven Schwarz in 7:38.12, clocked in Berlin at Nationals almost a year ago. This year's German trials for summer action is set to be the toughest domestic distance meet in history, with five men in line for two places in all distances 400, 800, 1500m, with a few of them also in line for open water berths at the European Championships in Paris this August.
The splits compared:
- 54.99; 1:52.42; 2:50.34; 3:48.39; 4:46.38; 5:44.19; 6:42.14; 7:37.94 (55.80) - Liebmann 2026
- 55.08; 1:52.42; 2:49.96; 3:47.80; 4:45.82; 5:43.84; 6:42.16; 7:38.12 (55.96) - Schwarz 2025
If Berkhahn's Magdeburg squad boasts five men between 14:34 and 14:40 in the 1500m, it now also has three in the 800m all-time top 10 and four in the top 13 in textile, or two in the top 10 and four in the top 15 counting the other-worldly shiny suits times from the Rome 2009 circus that still top the lot almost 17 years on.
The all-time ranking includes the three teenagers who dipped below the 7:40 mark before Liebmann, Australian Ian Thorpe the first, at 18 in 2001, China's Sun Yang* the second, at 19 in 2011, and Sam Short, of Australia, at 19 in 2023:
Oliver Klemet, the fifth Magdeburg man in the all-time top 35, fell just shy of his 7:44 best for seconds place in Stockholm, on 7:45.66, Belgium's Lucas Henveaux on 7:55.57 in third rain for California Aquatics.
Another member of the Magdeburg program, Isabel Gose made it a distance sweep of her own when she clocked 8:24.69 to add the 800m to her victories in the 400m and 1500m, the latter in a meet mark of 15:55. Closest in the 800 was yet another Magdeburg based ace, World open water champion from Australia Moesha Johnson, on 8:26.89.
Another stroke sweep was claimed by Dutch ace Caspar Corbeau, who took his third breaststroke victory of the meet in 27.26 in the dash.
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, racing for the Southern China swim association, also celebrate a triple, her 50 and 200m wins bolstered by a 52.79 victory in the 100m freestyle.
