European Swimming Championships
Corona and the “cherry on the cake”: Wellbrock’s EM plans
As an open-water swimmer, he hardly cares about his limited experience with open-air pools: Florian Wellbrock. photo
© Attila Volgyi/XinHua/dpa
Five medals at the swimming world championships, then Corona. Shortly after returning from Budapest, Florian Wellbrock fell ill with Covid-19. What can the exceptional athlete do at the European Championships?
Magdeburg instead of Mallorca: Florian Wellbrock had planned the preparation for the big swimming highlight under the sun of Rome completely differently. Hardly back from the World Cup, Germany’s number one exceptional swimmer caught a corona infection in July.
The planned training camp on the Spanish island and the practice plan with a view to the European Championships starting this Thursday were no longer necessary. Wellbrock’s start in the open-air pool of the Foro Italico, where Paul Biedermann set his two freestyle world records in 2009, which are still valid today, was on the brink. It is now clear: the Olympic champion is there. However, there is a big question mark behind its form.
Wellbrock: “Corona came very inconveniently”
“It’s difficult for me to assess my current performance, I haven’t been back in training for long,” Wellbrock recently told the German Press Agency. “In any case, Corona came very inconveniently.”
Born in Bremen, he takes the pressure off himself a little. “The World Championships were the absolute highlight of the season, which I did very successfully. So the season has been very successful so far,” said Wellbrock. “Everything that comes with the European Championships and the short course World Championships is the icing on the cake for me.”
At the World Championships about a month and a half ago, the 24-year-old shone with five medals in five starts in the pool and open water. Wellbrock already rules out such a number of races. Together with national coach Bernd Berkhahn, he wants to spontaneously decide which European Championship competitions he will swim.
Wellbrock isn’t the only top performer who had health issues prior to the Rome trip. His Magdeburg training partner Lukas Märtens also fell ill with Covid-19 after the World Cup, but recovered earlier. The 20-year-old is planning a tight program with freestyle starts over 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meters and with the relay. A medal is the goal for the World Championship silver medalist in the 400 meter distance.
Great anticipation for Rome in the German team
At some point, Märtens also wants to attack Biedermann’s world record on the track. However, Berkhahn does not believe that this is already possible in Rome. “He won’t be able to match that because the preparation was not good with the corona infection,” said the long-distance national coach. “I’ll be happy if he can match the performance at the World Cup.”
In addition to the health concerns, the German team is also concerned about the termination. The pandemic has thrown the calendar upside down, European championships so soon after world championships are actually not common. Among others, breaststroke ace and silver medalist at the World Championships Anna Elendt decided not to take part in the European Championships because her studies in the USA have already started again.
Despite the unfavorable omens, the anticipation in the German team is great. “The pool is incredibly beautiful. The Italians are simply enthusiastic about swimming,” said Berkhahn on behalf of his athletes.
In contrast to the World Championships, where only a small German elite team started, the German Swimming Association (DSV) also wants to use the European Championships to enable young and talented athletes to gain experience at an international top level. “For us, the European Championship is important in order to develop the breadth in the team with regard to Paris 2024,” said Berkhahn with a view to the next Olympic Games. “It will partially succeed. However, this process is partially disrupted by the cases of illness.”
Not only the swimmers who want to win medals in the pool and open water have problems in this regard. The water jumpers, synchronized swimmers and cliff divers also have to cope with absences due to injuries or illnesses. Difficult omens – not only for Florian Wellbrock.