- Silver in the Seine: Klemet surprised at the Olympics
Oliver Klemet caused a sensation in Olympic open water swimming, securing another medal for the German Swimming Federation in Paris. The 22-year-old had to settle for silver behind Hungarian gold medalist Kristof Rasovszky. Bronze went to Hungarian David Betlehem.
For Klemet, this podium finish at the Olympics was the greatest achievement of his career so far. He gave the German swimmers a successful finale at the last event of the Summer Games with his third medal. Florian Wellbrock, who had won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, finished eighth this time.
World Championship Bronze in Japan
Klemet showed a tactically strong performance in the Seine, which had been a topic of discussion due to water quality concerns in recent weeks. Many swimmers struggled with the strong current, but Klemet handled it well. The protégé of long-distance national coach Bernd Berkhahn stayed in the leading group from the start, conserving energy for the final two laps, where he secured second place.
Klemet's biggest individual success so far was winning the bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, which earned him a spot at the Olympics. He was able to plan and prepare for the Summer Games at the Eiffel Tower early on, which worked out well.
Wellbrock remains medal-less
Wellbrock, who trains with Klemet in Magdeburg, had been in the lead for much of the race but had to let Klemet and other competitors pass him in the penultimate lap. The 26-year-old ended the Olympics without a medal. He had also failed to advance past the heats in the 800m and 1500m events in the pool.
On Thursday, the German female swimmers were unable to compete for medals in the open water event. European champion Leonie Beck finished ninth, while Leonie Märtens came in 22nd.
In the pool, Lukas Märtens won gold in the 400m freestyle, and Isabel Gose won bronze in the 1500m event.
Despite Florian Wellbrock's victory in the Olympic 10km marathon swim in Tokyo 2021, his performance in Paris fell short, finishing eighth in the event. Meanwhile, his training partner and fellow German swimmer, Florian Wellbrock, ended the Olympics in Paris without securing a medal.
