Swimming World Championships in Budapest: Wellbrock wins bronze over 1500 meters

Swimmer Florian Wellbrock won his second World Championships medal at the end of the pool competitions in Budapest, but missed out on successfully defending his title. The 24-year-old had to settle for bronze in the top-class final over 1500 meters freestyle after 14:36.94 minutes, he was more than four seconds behind the new world champion Gregorio Paltrinieri (Italy). Second was the American double Olympic champion Bobby Finke.

Rio Olympic champion Paltrinieri was on course for a world record right down to the last lane and set a European record of 14:32.80 minutes. Wellbrock’s Magdeburg club colleague Lukas Märtens took fourth place. Wellbrock, who had won silver in the 800 meters four days earlier, will still be competing in three open water competitions with a chance of winning in the second week of the World Championships.

For the German Swimming Association (DSV) it was the fourth medal in the title fights in Budapest. In addition to Wellbrock, Märtens (400 meters freestyle) and Anna Elendt (100 meters breaststroke) also won silver.

Misery fifth, Braunschweig sixth

The 20-year-old Elendt finished fifth in Saturday’s 50-meter final, staying twelve-hundredths over her German record in 30.22 seconds. Gold went to Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte, Olympic champion in the 100 meters ten years ago, ahead of Italian world record holder Benedetta Pilato and South African Lara van Niekerk. Elendt, who lives and trains in the USA, had won silver over double the distance, but surprisingly failed over the 200 meters in the preliminary heat.

In the final over 50 meters backstroke, Ole Braunschweig finished sixth in the American Hunter Armstrong’s victory. The 24-year-old had already fulfilled his target with the final and the German record (24.58) in the run-up. Armstrong’s compatriot Justin Ress, who hit two hundredths earlier than first, was disqualified.