German swimmers Isabel Gose and Maya Werner captured silver and bronze respectively in the women’s 800-meter freestyle final at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, delivering a strong performance for the German Swimming Federation at the Centre Aquatique Olympique.
Silver and Bronze for Gose and Werner in Paris
Isabel Gose and Maya Werner shared an immediate embrace in the pool after securing the second and third medals of the continental meet for the German team on the second day of swimming finals. The race was won by Italy’s Simona Quadarella, who established a decisive lead that the field could not chase down.
“I’m super happy,” Gose said in an interview with ZDF. “Third race, third medal: That’s a pretty good haul so far.” Earlier in the week in open water competition, the 24-year-old German athlete claimed gold medals in the knockout sprint and the mixed team relay.
In her first pool final of the Paris championships, Gose matched Quadarella’s early pace before fading slightly over the final stretch. “Towards the end, I noticed that I was missing a few bullets,” Gose said. “I already have a few competition kilometers behind me now, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. That’s what we train for, and that’s why it’s silver.”
Werner Celebrates First Major International Podium
For 21-year-old Maya Werner, the bronze medal marked her first individual podium finish on a major international stage. She finished close behind her teammate to round out the top three.
“I’m just glad that it worked out right away in the first race,” Werner said. “It’s simply wonderful. We are training partners, friends inside and outside the water. That is something very special,” she added regarding the shared podium experience with her Magdeburg training partner.
Gose now turns her attention to the 1500-meter freestyle, an event where she holds an Olympic bronze medal and ranks as the second-fastest performer globally this year. Heats for the longest pool distance are scheduled for Thursday.
Narrow Margins for German Finalists
Other German competitors experienced tight finishes just outside the medal positions during the Paris finals session.
Breaststroker Melvin Imoudu finished fourth in the men’s 100-meter event, missing the bronze medal by just 15 hundredths of seconds behind Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo. The gold medal in that race went to Italian Olympic champion Nicolò Martinenghi.
Lise Seidel similarly placed fourth in the women’s 200-meter backstroke, finishing 23 hundredths of a second behind bronze in a race won by Britain’s Katie Shanahan. Meanwhile, the German mixed 4×100-meter medley relay squad established a national record time of 3:43.00 minutes, placing fifth overall.
Upcoming Finals and Medal Prospects
Competition continues with a full slate of finals featuring several medal contenders from the German squad. The men’s 800-meter freestyle final highlights the Wednesday schedule, featuring 19-year-old Johannes Liebmann, who posted the fastest qualifying time after previously setting a European record in April. Fellow German competitor Sven Schwarz also qualified for the medal race.
World champion Anna Elendt will contest the final of the women’s 100-meter breaststroke. The evening final session is scheduled to begin at 18:30 local venue time (CET) with broadcast coverage provided by ARD.
Keep reading
