Hundreds of stars from all over the world have registered for the FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin (October 21 – 23), but the short course spectacle in the home country is also an absolute highlight for the athletes of the German Swimming Association (DSV). “Of course I am looking forward to such a high-quality competition in my home country. After all, Berlin is something like our second living room for us,” said Florian Wellbrock. As expected, the Olympic and world champion will compete in his 1500m freestyle at the World Cup opener, and the 25-year-old has also entered the 200m and 400m freestyle. The meddling fans will thus get to see their top star on each of the three competition days (finals starting at 7:00 p.m. each day).
Like other successful members from his Magdeburg training group, Wellbrock now belongs to the Bundeswehr’s army sports group and had to complete his basic training there in Hannover in September. “Due to the basic training with the Bundeswehr, it was a bit more difficult than usual at the beginning of the season to get everything done with the training. But I’m surprised how well things are going again in some areas. Of course, best times are not yet within reach,” said the short course world record holder, who was unfortunately slowed down by a coronavirus infection after winning five world championship medals in June. He said he found the weeks in uniform an interesting change, and as a competitive athlete he was able to easily put away the physical exertion involved. “We were able to get to know the athletes from other sports much more intensively during these four weeks, which was also very nice,” says Wellbrock.
Wellbrock’s club colleagues Isabel Gose and Lukas Märtens were able to win their first international titles at the European Championships in Rome (ITA), and for them the first races as champions are now on the agenda after the basic training. A role that the 20-year-old Gose still has to get used to. “In the middle of Berlin, Lukas and I were recognized on the street and also approached in a friendly manner. That was a very nice experience and shows that the fans here are also looking forward to this World Cup,” said Gose. Five times, on all freestyle distances from 50m to 800m, the 400m European champion will start in the swimming and diving hall in the Europasportpark (SSE). “I’m especially looking forward to trying the shorter, splashier distances again,” said the Berlin native.
Lukas Märtens is in action at the World Cup in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, and he will also try his hand in the 100m and 200m backstroke. “Of course I’ll give it my all and enjoy it, I probably can’t get my hopes up too high for a win this time after some recent health problems,” said Märtens. For national coach Bernd Berkhahn, however, this is not a problem: “Even if best times cannot always be the focus, it is important for us to get the international routines,” he emphasized.
This is especially true for Sarah Wellbrock. The 28-year-old is contesting her comeback competition on the international stage in the capital after forgoing the top international races in the preseason to concentrate on her law studies. “Of course, I still continued to train almost daily and was able to make some encouraging progress in the strength area, for example. However, after completing my written exams for the law state exam at the end of August and our free wedding ceremony at the beginning of September, I am now contesting the full program with our training group again,” said the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist. Everything is now geared towards the Olympic Games in Paris (FRA) 2024, where she would prefer to compete in pool and open water. “The World Cup is a wonderful start for me, though, because competitions are ultimately why we do all this. I’m looking forward to Berlin,” said Sarah Wellbrock.
