Gold Triple: Florian Wellbrock writes open water history in Singapore

Singapore. His sensational gold medal haul made Florian Wellbrock smile in disbelief. "It's still a bit surreal at the moment," said the Singapore open water champion, a cooling wet towel over his shoulders. "I really didn't expect that. It was a huge surprise."

Wellbrock was also unbeatable in the new open water knockout sprint. The 27-year-old won ahead of silver medalist David Betlehem of Hungary and Frenchman Marc-Antoine Olivier, who took bronze.

For Wellbrock, it was his third gold medal in the third race of these championships. He became the first swimmer ever to be crowned a three-time open water world champion at a World Championships. "I'm incredibly happy with my third gold medal," he said. Wellbrock had already won the title in the 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer open water races at Palawan Beach.

The Bremen native, who trains in Magdeburg with national coach Bernd Berkhahn, seems liberated in Singapore. Almost a year after his completely botched Olympic Games, he's celebrating an impressive comeback on the world stage and is in incredible flow. He's coping perfectly with the tropical conditions of Southeast Asia.

"If I'd gone home with a bronze medal, I would have been happy too," said Wellbrock. "I'm having a fantastic time here. We're in a great mood on the team and having a lot of fun."

Wellbrock achieved his victory today in a format being used for the first time at the World Championships. In the Knockout Sprint, three laps are completed in quick succession. Athletes first swim 1,500 meters, then 1,000, and finally 500 meters. Athletes are eliminated after each lap.

"Some of the other guys had already tested it a bit during the World Cup. For me, it was a first. So I only knew what to expect from stories," said Wellbrock. He thinks the action-packed mode with close, fast races is a good idea: "It was tough from the start. I think it was cool to watch us."

With water temperatures once again exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, he showed his class right from the start. Before the final, he had already been the fastest in his first-round heat and in the semifinals. "He handled it confidently," Berkhahn noted with satisfaction. His second starter, Oliver Klemet, was eliminated in the semifinals.

The mixed relay is scheduled for Sunday (2 a.m. CEST) to conclude the open water competitions. The German quartet of Isabel Gose, Celine Rieder, Wellbrock, and Klemet are also among the top favorites. Wellbrock is certainly looking forward to it: "Three gold medals, and the relay tomorrow. I'm incredibly excited to see what happens."

After that, Wellbrock will begin his final preparations for the pool races, which begin on July 27. He intends to be aggressive there as well. First, however, the triple champion's recovery phase begins. "Physio, drinking, resting, sleeping"—that's his schedule for the rest of the day.

RND/dpa