Florian Wellbrock swims to World Championship gold in open water
After his disappointing performance at the 2024 Olympics, long-distance swimmer Florian Wellbrock made an impressive comeback at the World Championships in Singapore - despite problematic water quality.
Even the extremely warm water off Singapore didn't slow down Florian Wellbrock. The 27-year-old long-distance swimmer from Germany won gold in the 10-kilometer race at the World Championships. Silver went to Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri and bronze to Australian Kyle Lee. Oliver Klemet, who won silver at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, missed the bronze by just a tenth of a second.
For Wellbrock, it was a fantastic comeback after his Olympic disappointment. In Paris, he was surprisingly eliminated in the preliminary round of the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle and also missed the medal he had hoped for in the open water race on the Seine. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, Wellbrock became Olympic champion in the 10-kilometer race .
With his success in Singapore, Wellbrock won his sixth World Championship title in open water swimming. He also won World Championship gold in the 1500-meter freestyle in the pool in 2019.
Water over 30 degrees warmThe competitions off Setosa Island had been postponed due to poor water quality. Measurements had shown that certain thresholds designed to protect the athletes' health had been exceeded. However, the organizers ultimately gave the green light. The water quality had improved significantly, they said.
With the water temperature officially at 30.4 degrees Celsius and the heat even higher on land, Wellbrock swam in the leading group from the start, even leading most of the way. On the final lap, he also fended off Paltrinieri's attack and remained in first place. "To be honest, I hated racing in cold water. Today, the conditions were perfect for me," said Wellbrock. "I'm very happy with my gold medal."
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