News : Swimming World Championship: Florian Wellbrock wins gold in the open water race, Rob Muffel's bronze

News :

Swimming World Championship: Florian Wellbrock wins gold in the open water race, Rob Muffel's bronze

Tuesday, 07/16/2019 03:47 clock

Open water swimmer Florian Wellbrock won the gold medal at the World Championships over ten kilometers. The 21-year-old won in Yeosu on Tuesday before Frenchman Marc-Antoine Olivier - and celebrated his biggest international success so far.

Wellbrock's team-mate Rob Muffels took bronze. The two thus qualified for the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo. "The goal was Olympics, now we have gold and bronze, that's an absolute dream," said 24-year-old Muffels. For the German swimming federation it was the first medal in the title fights in South Korea and the first world championship gold since 2015.

Wellbrock won in a time of 1: 47: 55.9 hours. Just over a year after the European title over 1500 meters in the pool meant the first major title in the open water. "I've always thought of the last nights before falling asleep, you want to become world champion," he said. "That I've done that now, must first arrive in the head."

Wellbrock is the great German hopefuls at the World Cup. Next week, he also wants to attack over 800 and 1500 meters. "He swims very concentrated and does not burn anything" - so had coach Stefan Lurz Wellbrock described him in the current season. "Coolness and self-assurance" are the strengths of the 21-year-olds.

Previously, Finnia Wunram and Leonie Beck had already secured their tickets for the summer games. Thus, the German swimmers have taken all four possible starting places - that has not managed since the Olympic premiere of the race in 2008, no nation.

The overview of the men's 10 kilometer race: