Lukas Märtens Follows Up 400 Free World Record With 200 Title In Stockholm; Florian Wellbrock Posts 14:38 In 1500
Lukas Märtens returned from his historic performance in the 400 free on Saturday to claim the 200 free title at the Swim Open Stockholm.
Märtens went 3:39.96 to take down Paul Biedermann’s super-suited world record over eighth lengths in the Swedish capital and he came back to the pool on Sunday morning to post a 1:46.03 prelim in the 200.
Come the final and he went ahead on the third 50 with a 26.36 final length guiding him home in 1:45.55 ahead of Kieran Smith of the USA (1:46.89) with Timo Sorgius making it a German 1-3 in 1:47.52.
Florian Wellbrock: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Florian Wellbrock – who was third in the 400 free – was back in the water for the 1500. Out in 26.84, his splits thereafter were metronomic ranging from 28.49 to 29.89 and mainly in the 29 mids. The 2019 world champion went 56.22 (28.49/27.73) on his final hundred to stop the clock at 14:38.27.
It was the sixth fastest of his decorated career and swiftest since he set his PB of 14:34.89 at the Berlin Swim Open in 2023.
Oliver Klemet – who was second in the 400 – came home in a PB of 14:43.01 to take 0.52 from his previous best of 14:43.53 from the LEN Under-23 Championships in 2023.
Wellbrock and Klemet’s times were the two fastest of the year so far. Sven Schwarz took third in 14:52.62.
Meilutyte Sprints To Gold; Vanotterdijk Into The Record Books Once More
Ruta Meilutyte enjoyed a clear victory in the 50m breaststroke with her time of 30.18 propelling her to the top of the rankings. The world record-holder won the global title in Doha in February last year before undergoing surgery on her left foot, less than five months before the Olympics got underway. The London 2012 100 breast champion finished 11th in the semis in the French capital before she ended the year by taking the world short-course title over 50m in Budapest.
Olivia Klint Ipsa (30.84) and Silje Rongevær Slyngstadli (30.91) also reached the podium.
World champion Angelina Köhler won the women’s 100 fly in 56.93 despite the close attention of Roos Vanotterdijk whose charge down the second 50 guided her from fourth at halfway to second in 57.05. It was a second Belgian record in as many days for Vanotterdijk following her 27.81 in the 50 back on Saturday. Louise Hansson was third in 57.35.
Ruta Meilutyte: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala, Deepbluemedia
Vanotterdijk returned for the 100 back where Australian Iona Anderson clinched the 50/100 double in a meet record of 59.81. Vanotterdijk was second in 59.95 with Maaike de Waard third in 1:00.90.
Nyls Korstanje set a meet record of 50.97 to win the men’s 100 fly, the sixth best of his career topped by his 50.59 Dutch record in the semis at Paris 2024 before he went on to finish sixth in the final. Adrian Jaskiewicz (52.18) and Alex Ahtiainen (52.30) claimed the minor spoils.
Lucas Matzerath added 100m breaststroke gold to his 200 bronze in 1:00.35 ahead of 200 winner Jan Kalusowski (1:00.59) and Dawid Wiekiera (1:00.66).
Ksawery Masiuk added the 50 back title to his 200 gold in 24.71 while Tea Winblad took the women’s 400IM in 4:50.91.
