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Berlin (dpa) - On the way to a big Olympic warning sign to the international competition, Florian Wellbrock was neither stopped by the noise in the association nor by the unusual conditions in Berlin. In front of almost empty stands and without a real rival, Germany's top swimmer set a world best time in 14: 36.45 minutes in the final of the Tokyo qualification over 1500 meters freestyle. "That's a nice greeting to Italy," said Wellbrock. He was almost four seconds faster than the Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri in his previous record in 2021. "The boys will be happy and I look forward to Tokyo."
"Competition is good for business," said Wellbrock.
He missed his own German record by just 30 hundredths of a second.
“It's a bit annoying with the best time.
I would have loved to have had them, ”said the ambitious 23-year-old.
Nevertheless, Wellbrock made “a catch” at the event.
From now on he will focus everything on Tokyo.
"I'll be up to the situation then, and I'm really looking forward to it," he said.
A week ago he set a world best time on his 400-meter freestyle branch.
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Wellbrock is the greatest hope for a medal among German swimmers in Japan.
It is intended to help ensure that the series of two summer games without precious metals in the pool ends this year.
The native of Bremen, who trains in the strong Magdeburg training group of team boss Bernd Berkhahn, has been on the grid like seven other DSV athletes for a long time. In April, eleven more swimmers cracked the single Olympic norm. Christian Diener, Damian Wierling, Annika Bruhn and Lucas Matzerath made it to the capital at the last minute.
"You have to take off your hat to the athletes, how they motivate themselves here and pull themselves together with very thin runs and no spectators," said Berkhahn.
Due to a strongly reduced field of participants due to corona, the athletes like Wellbrock swam the 800 meter freestyle in their races partly alone or against only a few competitors.
Berkhahn didn't want to complain about it.
"Many other sports have even bigger problems than we do with qualification," said the 50-year-old.
"We are lucky that we have made it so well so far."
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Long-distance specialist Sarah Köhler was also satisfied with her performance. The 26-year-old vice world champion over 1500 meters freestyle wants to intervene in the medal fight like her fiancé Wellbrock in Tokyo. As expected, Köhler won confidently on the two very long distances, but on her side course over 400 meters she was narrowly beaten by her strong training partner Isabel Gose. With her fastest time in three years over the distance, she still saw a “very good basis for my long distance”.
In turbulent DSV times, Köhler also has a lot to do away from the pool.
"I have been the athletes' spokesperson for four years and I did not think that I would have to be so politically involved," she said on Sunday.
After the German Swimming Association released competitive sports director Thomas Kurschilgen, the important post has been vacant for weeks.
Among other things, together with Berkhahn and team coach Hannes Vitense, Köhler recently spoke out in a critical letter to the top of the association in favor of rehabilitation of cure students.
If this is not possible in a timely manner, the group suggests the three-time Olympic champion Michael Groß as an interim solution for the post.
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The DSV wants to decide how things will continue in a few days.
Köhler hopes that the question will actually be resolved soon.
"The subject should have been off the table two weeks ago," she said.
"It's more than overdue."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210418-99-253906 / 3
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