Germany's Florian Wellbrock gets historic third open water swimming gold at World Championships
SINGAPORE - History was made in the heat and humidity at Sentosa's Palawan Beach on July 19, when Germany's Florian Wellbrock claimed the men's 3m knockout sprint gold at the World Aquatics Championships for his third title at the ongoing competition.
Winner of the 10km freestyle gold at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as multiple world and European titles, the 27-year-old has been dominant in the waters here since the open water swimming competition flagged off on July 16.
After clinching the 10km and 5km titles, he added another feather to his cap on July 19 when he topped his 3km knockout sprint heat, semi-final and final to finish in 5min 46 seconds for a hat-trick in Singapore.
The first open water swimmer to claim three golds in a single world championships, he could make it four on July 20 if he competes in the mixed relay 4x1,500m alongside German teammates Celine Rieder, Oliver Klemet, and Isabel Gose.
Wellbrock, who is also competing in indoor swimming at this championships and holds the short course world record in the 1,500m freestyle, said at the post-race press conference: 'I didn't expect it. It was a completely new situation for me to race the knockout race, so I had no idea how it worked, or what's the best position to start the new heat.
'But it was so much fun, especially at the end, when I could just jump in and go all out.'
Making its debut at the world event, the 3km knockout sprint is held in three stages, beginning with two 1,500m heats, where only the top ten from each heat advance to the semi-finals (1,000m). The top ten finishers then proceed to the final sprint of 500m.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Mindef, SAF units among those dealing with attack on S'pore's critical information infrastructure
Asia How China's growing cyber-hacking capabilities have raised alarm around the world
Asia Autogate glitch at Malaysia's major checkpoints causes chaos for S'porean and foreign travellers
Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore
Singapore 'I thought it was an April Fool's joke': Teen addicted to Kpods on news that friend died
Singapore Who decides when you can't? A guide on planning for end-of-life care
Singapore Why hiring more teachers makes sense, even with falling student numbers
Singapore Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: Train service resumes after power fault affects 13-station line
The new category received positive reviews from the swimmers, and though it is shorter than the 5km and 10km, it is still challenging as swimmers have to main speed and endurance throughout, with only 10 minutes of rest between the stages.
Wellbrock started strongly and never let up across the three stages to finish top, while Hungary's David Betlehem was second in 5:47.70, and France's Marc-Antoine Olivier placed third (5:51.10)
Olympic bronze medallist (10km) Betlehem, 21, was disappointed with his result after is performances in the 2025 season – he won gold in the knockout sprint of the Spanish leg of the Open Water Swimming World Cup, silver in the Portugal open, and bronze in the European Championships.
Nonetheless, he told The Straits Times that he was 'very happy' with the knockout sprint format.
'There's always a new start, there's always a clear end, so I have three chances to be the best,' he added.
The women's race saw a thrilling final sprint after two fiercely-contested heats and semi-finals.
Australia's Moesha Johnson, who claimed gold in the 5km and 10km, took an early lead in the final sprint, but failed in her bid for a third gold as she finished joint-third with Hungary's Bettina Fabian (6:23.10).
Despite losing her swimming cap during the 500m final, Ichika Kajimoto kept her cool to take top spot in 6:19.90 for Japan's first open water swimming gold at the championships. Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci clinched the silver in 6:21.90.
Kajimoto, who also won bronze in the 5km, said: 'It was a very difficult race, and I think I am a very lucky girl.'
Singaporean swimmers Chantal Liew (18:42.0) and Kate Ona (20:01.5) finished 14th and 22nd in their 3km knockout sprint heats, while Artyom Luksevits (17:50.0) and Luke Tan (18:53.3)were 17th and 25th.
Lukasevits said: 'This is a much faster-paced race, from start to finish. And it's a lot more tactical, fast in the end, fast in the front, and you kind of play around with the middle.'
Hungarian swimmer Fabian hopes to see the new event included in the Olympics.
She said: 'People who watch it, they enjoy it, and it's a very fun race so we enjoy it as well. Especially when it can show the athletes; how they prepare for the semifinal, for the final. I think it is a very entertaining story.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Four in four for Germany's open water king Florian Wellbrock at Sentosa
(From left) German swimmers Oliver Klemet, Florian Wellbrock, Celine Rieder and Isabel Gose posing for a group photo after anchor-leg Wellbrock sealed their 4x1,500m victory. SINGAPORE – Few things are predictable when it comes to nature's elements, but off Sentosa's waters, Florian Wellbrock is proving to be one of those rare constants as he won a fourth title in five days at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore. On July 20, the final day of the open water races, there was a familiar sight on the blue pontoon emblazoned 'World Aquatics Singapore 2005' at Palawan Green as the 27-year-old stretched out his hands in delight, while teammates Isabel Gose, Oliver Klemet and Celine Rieder joined in the celebrations. Anchoring his team to victory in the mixed 4x1,500m relay, Wellbrock touched the finish pad first as Germany won in 1hr 9min 13.3sec for their first gold medal in this event since 2022 after finishing fourth in the last two editions. Italy's Barbara Pozzobon, Ginevra Taddeucci, Marcello Guidi and Gregorio Paltrinieri (1:09:15.4) settled for silver, with Hungary's Bettina Fabian, Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas, Kristof Rasovszky and David Betlehem (1:09:16.7) third. Just a day before, Wellbrock became the first open water swimmer to win three individual events at the WCH when he clinched the new 3km knockout event, following earlier victories in the 10km and 5km races. The Tokyo Olympic 10km champion held up four fingers to signify his bountiful haul in Singapore, something he had not expected. Germany's Florian Wellbrock holding up four fingers to represent the number of gold medals he won in Singapore. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO 'I tried to be in the top position in the 10km and the rest of the races were like a bonus. I think nobody came here to win four gold medals, not me or anyone else,' he told The Straits Times shortly after the win. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Singapore HSA extends hotline hours, launches new platform to report vaping offences Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore World Diplomats dismissed: Inside the overhaul reshaping Trump's foreign policy Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO In the press conference later, Wellbrock was still at a loss for words. 'To be honest, I'm still speechless, so I have no idea (how) I did it, and I'm so proud of my team today,' he said. 'We made history today. The relay is always special... I'm absolutely proud of my team and my own performance.' In the mixed 4x1,500m team relay, four swimmers (two men and two women) swim one lap of 1,500m each. Teams deployed different combinations, with some sending out their male athletes first and ending with their female swimmers, while some opted to start with the women. Australia (Chelsea Gubecka), Italy (Pozzobon), Germany (Rieder), France (Clemence Coccordano) and Hungary (Bettina) all started with female swimmers on the first leg, while teams such as Thailand (Ratthawit Thammananthachote), who led before the first changeover, started with a male swimmer. But by the end of the second leg, Germany were in the top three before capturing the lead in the third leg. Gose, Germany's third swimmer, then handed over to Wellbrock with a healthy lead. Italy's Paltrinieri started the final leg of the race well and closed the gap on Wellbrock, while Betlehem of Hungary was also looking to make it a nervy finish for the Germans. But Wellbrock had enough in the tank to hang on. Wellbrock is not done with his medal harvest just yet. His attention will now shift to indoor swimming, which kicks off on July 27. He is expected to compete in the men's 1,500m freestyle, in which he holds the short course world record. But, for now, his body is in need of a rest. He said: 'All batteries are empty. I think it is a combination of empty body and emotional mind. One week of racing all events is really tough, and especially with the pressure today, I was absolutely happy to finish my competition, and this happened with a great performance. I need a little reset.' Singapore's quartet of Chantal Liew, Kate Ona, Russel Pang and Artyom Lukasevits finished a respectable 14th out of 23 teams in 1:15:39.00, ahead of South Korea (17th), Thailand (18th), Hong Kong (19th) and India (20th). Liew, 26, said she was pleased with the home team's display. 'We can hold our heads high. We were ahead of our South-east Asian rivals Thailand as well as South Korea. Overall, I am really proud of the team,' she said. The final day of open water swimming brings to an end four days of intense battles across the 10k, 5km, 3km knockout sprint and mixed relay races. The waters off Sentosa had been the centre of global attention even before racing began. Following two delays after tests revealed that Escherichia coli bacteria levels in the waters off Sentosa had exceeded World Aquatics thresholds, the events finally kicked off in the afternoon of July 16. This had resulted in punishing conditions of 30.4 deg C for the water temperature during the men's event and 30.8 deg C for the women's, with several swimmers describing it as one of the most gruelling races of their careers while some athletes were unable to complete the opening race. While open water swim events have concluded, attention in Sentosa will now shift to the 37-metre tower that will be the centrepiece of the high diving competition from July 24 to 27.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ten-woman Germany in Euros semis after stunning shoot-out win over France
BASEL – Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is on top of the world after her saves on Saturday helped send Germany past France and into the semi-finals of Women's Euro 2025. Berger, a two-time survivor of thyroid cancer, saved Alice Sombath's penalty to decide the shoot-out 6-5 in Germany's favour after a gruelling match ended 1-1 after extra time. The 34-year-old also stopped France's first penalty from Amel Majri and kept the scores level in the first half of extra time with an astonishing stop to make sure Janina Minge didn't knock Germany out with an own goal. 'I feel like I'm not a really emotional person, I'm glad I'm here and I'm glad that I have the team I have. Obviously the time here just makes me proud to be here,' Berger told reporters. 'Whatever happened in 2022 is in the past and I'm looking forward to it now, to the future. For me, now I live my best life and I'm in the semi-final.' The Germans will next take on world champions Spain in Zurich on Wednesday. They maintained their record of having never lost to France in a major summer tournament after battling back from going a goal and a woman down in the first 15 minutes to win a bruising encounter in Basel. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Singapore HSA extends hotline hours, launches new platform to report vaping offences Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO 'I would have loved to have had the game in 90 minutes and done and dusted,' Berger added. 'I did my part of the game. In 120 minutes they (the team) worked incredibly hard and I think all the credit should go to the team, not me. 'Maybe it was the decisive moment in the penalty shootout but everyone here should talk about it with him (coach Christian Wueck) now about the performance of the team because that was amazing and incredible.' St Jakob-Park was dominated by fierce German support which flocked over the nearby border with Switzerland and roared their team on even after Kathrin Hendrich was sent off and gave away the penalty from which Grace Geyoro opened the scoring. Sjoeke Nuesken – who also missed a penalty in the second half – levelled the scores 10 minutes later and, after a long battle to hold off France, Berger sent the majority of the crowd wild with her shootout stops. France have now fallen at the quarter-finals stage in eight of their last 10 Euros after losing a match in which they had two goals ruled out for offside. 'I don't think it was down to character, you have to remember that Germany are third in the FIFA rankings. They sat back and it was hard to break them down – they put in a huge effort against us,' said France coach Laurent Bonadei. 'We couldn't make the difference, we had two goals ruled out for offside... it's a lack of being clinical in front of goal.' Looking ahead, Berger did not want to promise that they would beat Spain to make the final. 'We do everything one step at a time – first of all we celebrate, then we focus on Spain, there is a very hard and tough opponent we have to face and everybody really gave their ultimate effort here and we need to regenerate, we have to make sure we recover,' she said. AFP, REUTERS
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
France's European run ended by familiar foe Germany
BASEL, Switzerland - Heartbroken France were left lamenting another European exit at the hands of Germany on Saturday in a stunning 6-5 penalty shootout loss in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals, leaving Les Bleues still searching for their first major tournament title. The loss came despite having a player advantage for most of the game, after Germany's Kathrin Hendrich was sent off for a tug on the hair of Griege Mbock Bathy in the box in the 13th minute. Grace Geyoro's ensuing penalty kick in the 13th minute was France's only goal in a bruising match that was tied 1-1 at the end of extra time. "It's very cruel, it's very difficult," Geyoro said. "We don't realize it yet, and there's a lot of disappointment and frustration at going out like that tonight. We're wondering when it's going to be smiling for us at last. It's difficult, frankly it's hard, that's football. I'm disappointed." The loss conjured memories of Euro 2022 when Germany dispatched France 2-1 in the semifinals before losing to England for the title. Despite the man advantage, France seemed to wither as the minutes wore on against the eight-times European champions. "We're sorry because when you're eleven against ten, you know that your set-pieces, numerical superiority do not exist anymore, so we had to avoid giving them those situations," coach Laurent Bonadei said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO Business Me and My Money: He overcomes a $100k setback to build a thriving online tuition business Asia At least 34 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Halong Bay "We didn't manage to find the back of the net except for two goals that were flagged offside. It's a shame, we didn't need much. Especially after what we'd done in the group phase, I thought we were getting stronger." France indeed had their chances, with goals by Delphine Cascarino and Geyoro chalked off for offside in each half. Melvine Malard clanged a rocket off the crossbar in the dying seconds of extra time. "I'm obviously disappointed," France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin said. "They were down to ten against 11, so even more disappointed. Finishing on penalties and going out like that is always the worst way to go. "It was a complicated game, they were behind for almost 90 minutes and they were sending warheads up front. "We're a bit down, we've just taken a blow to the back of the head." France's Amel Majri and Alice Sombath had their penalties saved in the shootout, with Sombath's spelling the end of France's tournament, as the heartbroken players collapsed on the pitch. "There's obviously a lot of disappointment," Geyoro said. "We really wanted to go all the way, but unfortunately we stop at the quarter-finals. Leaving the tournament just before the semi-finals is a real blow." REUTERS
