German SC Nationals: Prelims recap day 2

2019 German International Short Course Championships

• November 14th – 17 th
• Berlin
• Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark, Berlin, Germany
• SCM
• Event page
• Start-lists/results
• Live timing
• Live stream

Yesterday’s first finals session started with a great thrill. 2019 World Championship silver medalist (1500m free) Sarah Köhler dominated the 800m freestyle race right from the start and fought a lonely battle against the clock. In 8:08,02 minutes she finally beat her own German record by more than two seconds. Köhler had arrived the evening before directly from the Spanish Sierra Nevada. “The last four weeks in the altitude training camp went well, but in the race it didn’t feel so good at all, rather uncoordinated”, the 25-year-old explained afterwards: “Of course, the result is encouraging for the rest of the season.” World champion Florian Wellbrock, Sven Schwarz and Ruwen Straub delivered an exciting race over 1500m freestyle. In the end, favourite Wellbrock was able to prevail in 14:30,07 and stayed just above his personal best time. The only 17-year-old Schwarz came in on the second place in 14:31,24 and set a new age group record. “I’ve seen what Sven has been training lately, that’s why I expected such a result”, Wellbrock revealed. His own result is completely okay at the moment: “After all, I trained over 100 kilometres last week.”

Today’s preliminary rounds showed the races over the women’s and men’s 400m IM as well as the 50 m butterfly, 200 m backstroke and 200 m freestyle. Four swimmers in each event (except the 50m fly, back, breast) can qualify directly for the 2019 European Championships which will take place in early december in Glasgow, Scotland.

Franziska Hentke won the 200 m butterfly yesterday. Although she has qualified for the European Championships, she will not start in Glasgow. In the prelims over the 400m IM she set the fastest time in 4:39,50 followed by Giulia Goerigk (4:46,25) and Josephine Tesch (4:46,58). 15-year-old Kellie Messel made it as the youngest swimmer into the A-Final with a time of 4:47,09. In the men’s competition Marius Zobel convinced with the fastest time, he was clocked at 4:12,60. The second and third fastest times were set by Fynn Minuth (4:13.20) and Richard Braunberger (4.13.76). By the way: The German SC record is held by Germany’s breaststroke ace Marco Koch. He reached a time of 4:01.87 in 2015 over the 400m IM. Koch doesn’t compete in Berlin, he will start for his ISL team, the New York Breakers, at the next ISL competiton at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.

In contrast to Koch, his New York Breakers mate Marius Kusch takes part in the German Championships. Kusch was the fastest 50 m butterfly swimmer in the qualifying round with a time of 23.09. The next three fastest were: Ramon Klenz (23.39) and Damian Wierling (23.40) and Luca Armbruster (23.75, born 2001).

It seems that the women’s 50m butterfly will be a battle for the German title in tonight’s A-final between Aliena Schmidtke (prelims: 26,16), Lisa Höpink (26,51), Angelina Köhler (26,61) and Jessica Felsner (26,80). 15-year-old Amelie Zachenhuber also made it into the round of the fastest 8 ladies with a time of 27,13.

33-year-old Jenny Mensing touched the wall first in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:07,41. It will be an interesting race in the A-final against Nadine Laemmler (prelims result: 2:09,25) and Lisa Graf (2:09,41). The youngest swimmer who made it into the A Final was 14-year-old Lucie Mosdzien, who reached a time of 2:11.69.

Christian Diener is the current German record holder in the men’s 200m backstroke (1:49,14). In today’s prelims, he set the second fastest time in 1:53,57 behind Ole Braunschweig (1.52,96).

Germany has qualified for all men’s and women’s relays for the 2020 Olympic Games. Even the competion is held in a 25m pool, many swimmers test the relay-relevant events like the 200m freestyle. Sarah Köhler set the fastest time in prelims in 1:56,01 ahead of Isabel Gose (1:56,02), Annika Bruhn (1:56,03) and Maya Tobehn (1:56,10), Marie Pietruschka (1:56,65). These five cracked the German nomination standard for SC European Championships, four swimmers can take part in individual events.

On the men’s side no swimmer stayed under the qualifying standard during the preliminary session in the 200m freestyle. Poul Zellmann hit the wall with the fastest time of 1:45,43 followed by Robin Backhaus (1.45,83), Josha Salchow (1:45,91) and IM-specialist Philip Heintz (1:46,12)