2024 GERMAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)
- Thursday, April 25th – Sunday, April 28th
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50m)
- German Olympic Selection Policy
- Entries
- Live Results
On the first night of competition in Berlin, Lukas Märtens posted a 3:40.33 in the men’s 400 freestyle, the fastest time in the World this season.
Märtens swims a world-leading time after both Elijah Winnington and Sam Short of Australia posted what previously were the fastest two times in the World this season just last week as they swam a 3:41.41 and a 3:41.64 respectively. Märtens had been #4 in the World this season as he swam a 3:42.96 at the 2024 World Championships in Doha in February.
TOP 5 TIMES IN THE WORLD THIS SEASON
- Lukas Märtens, GER, 3:40.33 (2024 German Champs)
- Elijah Winnington, AUS, 3:41.41 (April 2024)
- Sam Short, AUS, 3:41.64 (April 2024)
- Woomin Kim, KOR, 3:42.71 (2024 Worlds)
- Oliver Klement, GER, 3:42.81
Märtens previous personal best time stood at a 3:41.60 that he swam in April 2022 at the Stockholm Open. At 2022 Worlds just two months later, he swam a 3:42.85 for silver.
Märtens will look to make waves in the event this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics but the battle will not be easy. He has been a consistent member on the podium in the event at the last three World Championships as he won bronze in 2023 and 2024 and silver in 2022. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Märtens did not make the event’s final as he was 12th in prelims with a 3:46.30.
Not only was Märtens’ time the fastest in the World this season but he also was just off of Paul Biedermann‘s World Record of a 3:40.07 that he set at the 2009 World Championships in the super-suit era. Märtens’ swim makes him the #4 performer of all-time, climbing from his previous rank of 11th.
Top 4 Men’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time
- Paul Biedermann (GER) – 3:40.07, 2009
- Ian Thorpe (AUS) – 3:40.08, 2002
- Sun Yang (CHN) – 3:40.14, 2012
- Lukas Märtens (GER) – 3:40.33, 2024
- Sam Short (AUS) – 3:40.68, 2023
- Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN) – 3:40.70, 2023
- Ous Mellouli (TUN) – 3:41.11), 2009
- Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 3:41.22
- Lin Zhang (CHN) – 3:41.35
- Park Tae Hwan (KOR) – 3:41.53, 2010
Split Comparison:
| Märtens | Märtens | Biedermann | |
| Split | 2022 | Thursday | 2009 |
| 50m | 25.71 | 25.00 | 26.29 |
| 100m | 28.21 (53.92) | 27.37 (52.37) | 28.13 (54.42) |
| 150m | 28.31 | 27.87 | 28.01 |
| 200m | 28.29 (56.60/1:50.52) | 28.35 (56.22/1:48.59) | 28.59 (56.60/1:51.02) |
| 250m | 27.77 | 28.21 | 27.76 |
| 300m | 27.94 (55.71) | 28.01 (56.22) | 28.39 (56.15) |
| 350m | 27.97 | 28.12 | 27.13 |
| 400m | 27.40 (55.37/1:51.08) | 27.40 (55.52/1:51.74) | 25.77 (52.90/1:49.05) |
Biedermann closed much faster than Märtenss but it is notable that the super suit typically helped swimmers finish better
Looks like Maertens swam the 100free (48.86) today instead of the 800free? 🙁
We were possibly deprived of a textile record or close to it
What individual WRs will go down at Trials or Paris??
My predictions..
Women.
50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 400 free, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 back, 200 im
Men.
400 free, 800 free, 1500 free, 200 breast, 200 im
No Chance 800 Free will go down
Men’s 800 free WR
Lmfao 😂
My Paris men’s 400 free prediction:
🏅 Lukas Maertens WR
🥈 Elijah Winnington
🥉 Sam Short
1.44.79 200, 3.40.33 400, 7.39.48 800, 14.40.28 1500 bro is cooking
Also 48.89 100 free last week
And 1:56.1 in 200m back
The other day, some posters were making of list of swimmers who have no haters: Thorpe and Phelps. Those guys were gods
Agree, they were both perfect swimmers with ridiculous margins on their competitors. As much as Biederman’s WR pains me, it was not his fault. I don’t get the hate. He did the best he could with the legal swimsuits at the time. We would have all done the same. We all know Thorpe holds the real WR. Lukas is getting close, and with the two Aussies, they will push each other to 3.39 in Paris.
sounds like you’re hating too since you don’t acknowledge his very legal world record
I’m a little bit of a Phelps hater, the way he looked so angry after every swim and the way he was always spitting water after finishing always annoyed me lol
Wasn’t Thorpe wearing also a long arm/leg suit?
Yes but his suit was really not helpful believe it or not. He had to wear it due to sponsorship.
It was textile.
Also, if anything, it actually slowed down his improvements.
Thorpe swam 3:41 as a 16 yo in *briefs*
He swam 3:40 as 17-18-19 yo in Adidas body suit.
There were talks and analysis that his full arm suit somewhat restricted his arm movements. He would’ve better off worn just leg suit like the ones that Phelps wore.
But Adidas wanted him to wear the black body suit for visual impact.
Strong disagree. Phelps has tons of haters, especially for some of his out-of-the-pool transgressions.
Thorpe…the worst I can recall is his special Olympic qualification in the 400 after the DQ at Trials in 2004 because he’s Ian Thorpe, some people are annoyed by that, but I agree not really “hate.” More people hate the referee who DQ’ed him than Thorpe himself lol.
Oh yeah if swimswam was around in 2004 everyone in the comment section would absolutely clown on Thorpe for “buying his Olympic spot” or something lol. It’d have been a huge mess.
Really interesting splitting, like an ncaa 500. I think its smart, and also very cool, that its coming to this. With the aid of a super suit, or talent like Thorpe, its virtually impossible to close like the 3.40 flats of the past. May as well get ahead of it and try to hang on! Very exciting, dudes fitness is crazy
The third split in the article is wrong. Should be 27.87
25.00 27.37 27.87 28.35 28.21 28.01 28.12 27.40
Podia in Paris, bodement not shot in the dark:
50 FR McEvoy > Proud > Dressel
100 FR PAN > Chalmers >> ChlorineDaddy
200 FR Richards > Hwang > ChlorineDaddy
100 BR Qin > Peaty > Fink
200 BR Qin or Stubblety-Cook > Marchand
100 FLY Milak or Dressel > Grousset
200 FLY Milak >> Marchand e.l.
200 IM Wang > marchand > Scott/Dean
400 IM Marchand
I think marchand will get only one gold medal as well and three minor medals
Agreed on the portion before “and”. French student is a quasi-genius but not a superman yet.
I don’t think anyone’s beating ChlorineDaddy in the 200.
Have your say.
I’m kind of wishy-washy on the 200 ranking mainly b/c not sure about his status quo / form exhibited by his PB.
Some open questions:
1) Can Cam Mac handle the pressure on the big stage?
2) Dressel has shown great back-end recent meets. How’s his front-end looking? How much has he and Nesty been working on it leading up to trials?
3) Can Pan and David handle the big waves swimming with big guys?
4) Where is ChlorineDaddy at mentally?
5) Can Marchand handle the 200fly/200br double?
6) Can Noe Ponti upset everyone in 100m fly?
7) We know Milak did weight training during the time he was away. But how will the absence affects his 200m fly endurance?
8) Is Ahmed still in the mix for 400m free? Has he resolve his… Read more »
More questions:
– How will everyone handle the nerves and pressure being at the Olympics?
– Will people swim slower trying to save up to win the race instead of posting a fast time??
Update:
200 FR Märtens > Richards/Hwang/ChlorineDaddy
400 FR Märtens a.l.