Märtens swims best time in the "fun" final and is last
In his final Olympic competition, Lukas Maertens once again takes to his "fun event", the 200m backstroke, but the specialists prove too strong. Despite this, Maertens still achieves a notable success and, after the intense period, he is eager to celebrate.
The specialists were enticed, but a sensational medal ultimately remained out of reach: Olympic champion Lukas Maertens finished eighth in the 200m backstroke final in Paris. The 22-year-old, who won gold in the 400m freestyle, set a personal best of 1:55.97, just 0.10 off the 12-year-old German record set by Jan-Philip Glania (1:55.87). He fell short of bronze by over a second. The last German Olympic medal in this event was won by DDR swimmer Frank Baltrusch in 1988.
"I'm extremely proud to have set a personal best in my tenth race here," Maertens said on ZDF: "I didn't want to finish eighth, but in the end, I'm leaving these wonderful Games as an Olympic champion." When asked how he planned to celebrate, Maertens laughed and said, "The question is: How many times? I'll see what's still going on today and where the night takes me. I'm super proud of myself and everyone who believed in me. And I'll celebrate with them."
The 200m backstroke gold went to Hungarian Hubert Kos (1:54.26), ahead of Greek Apostolos Christou and Swiss Roman Mityukov, who took silver at the World Championships. Maertens kept to the advice of Glania, who had said in a video message on ZDF: "The record has stood for 12 years. You're welcome to break it, but only if you win a medal. Otherwise, it's better to leave it alone."
Bundestrainer Bernd Berkhahn was also surprised that Maertens suddenly found himself among the world's best in this event. "I honestly thought his journey would end in the semi-finals," Berkhahn said. But Maertens qualified for the final as the fourth fastest, brimming with the confidence of an Olympic champion. The 200m backstroke is a "fun event" that he only trains once a week.
"Lukas is now very strong in terms of endurance and mentally," Berkhahn said. Maertens, who started out as a backstroke swimmer, trains this event mainly for variety in his daily routine. "It's good for an athlete not to be tied to just one event," Berkhahn added. After winning his first-ever final at the La Defense Arena, which made him the first German pool Olympic champion since 1988, Maertens missed out on a second medal in the 200m freestyle due to a fast start. He finished eighth with the 4x200m relay team.
Despite the challenging 200m backstroke competition, Lukas Maertens remains focused on his participation in the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris. With his impressive endurance and mental strength, Maertens is eager to continue making strides in his swimming career and potentially defend his title.
As the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris approaches, Maertens' training regime will undoubtedly include his beloved "fun event", the 200m backstroke, in his quest to make history once again.
