Märtens Backs Up WR With 3:40.6 Win In 400m At German Nationals
On day 1 at German Nationals, tickets to Singapore Worlds go to Lukas Märtens & Oliver Klemet + Isabel Gose and Maya Werner (400 free) - all Magdeburg pupils of Bernd Berkhahn; Angelina Köhler + Nik Armbruster (SG Neukölln Berlin) and Josha Salchow (100 'fly); Cedric Büssing (400IM)
Lukas Märtens backed up his pioneering sub-3:40 World record of 3:39.96 over 400m freestyle in Stockholm last month with a 3:40.61 victory on the opening day of the German Championships in Berlin.
Having rubber stamped his ticket to the World Championships in Singapore in July, the 23-year-old Olympic champion, coached by Bernd Berkhahn at the Magdeburg performance centre, acknowledged the impact of his World record in Sweden:
"I don't think I've ever seen such a full house in Germany. Maybe last year [Olympic title] had a bit of an impact. I hope the trend continues, with more and more people becoming aware of swimming again."
They're sure to if there's more of this in a country that boasts the biggest membership of a swimming federation in the world:
Craig Lord
Märtens was delighted to have backed up his world record with the third fastest time of his career after that 3:39 and the 3:40.33 warning he delivered at German nationals a year ago on the way to the Paris 2024 crown. He said:
Speaking through the DSV's Swim&More, he said:
"Two races like this within three weeks – that's something you have to be able to do, so I'm very satisfied. To be honest, I didn't expect that myself. But it's all the better that we're back in the running. Let's see how things go in the summer."
It was a race of training partners. Closest to Märtens was Oliver Klemet, the Paris 2024 Marathon silver medallist: tipped by SOS to grab the second Germany berth for Singapore, he did just that: his 3:43.40 kept 2020ne Marathon champion Florian Wellbrock at bay, on 3:45.29, while the fourth contender, Sven Schwarz, clocked 3:46.71, inside the 3:47 cut for Singapore and left his bid there.
Klemet said: "I'm very satisfied. Just a few days ago, I did the 10km and the open water knockout race [which he won], which took a lot of energy. That's why I'm glad I was able to swim so fast again."
More on that open water knockout, and Klemet:
Craig Lord
Märtens, meanwhile, paid plaudits to his coach and he way he has been elevated to his current status in a steady season-by-season process:
"For me, Bernd is the best coach in Germany, if not in Europe. I was slowly guided to the world elite, to the top level. I'd say I've established myself there now, and that's been further confirmed by a time like that today."
More on day 1 follows for SOS members ...
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