Lukas Märtens Goes 3:40.33 In Great Stab To Grab Biedermann’s WR At German Titles
Lukas Märtens gave it the best stab to grab Paul Biedermann‘s World 400m freestyle record and keep the standard in German hands we’ve ever seen when he sent smoke off the water with a 3:40.33sec victory on the opening day of German Championships in Berlin.
The time is the fourth swiftest all-time and fell just 0.26sec shy of Biedermann’s blast 0.01sec inside Ian Thorpe’s global standard (still the all-time textile best 22 years on) from the Rome 2009 shiny suits circus.
Märtens, the 2022 European champion and 2022 and 2023 World-titles podium placer, is the closest there’s ever been to Biedermann, Australia’s Thorpe and Chinese controversy Sun Yang* (3:40.14). Märtens’ previous best was a 3:41.60 clocked at the Stockholm Open in April two years ago.
“What was that?” asked Märtens as he emerged from the fray with a stunned looked on his face. At the last turn, he was still inside World-record pace but then the thing about shiny suits was that … what we knew then and still do.
Asked by reporters in Berlin about being “Paris favourite for gold” , Märtens was cool, calm and collected, saying: “I set my own goals and do well to keep them in mind.” He was also delighted that his sister Leonie, as second fastest in the 400m freestyle (see below Lukas’ race video) will be with him on the Germany team in Paris.
Coached by Bernd Berkhan, Märtens, 22 and from Magdeburg, rolled like thunder through splits of 52.37; 1:48.59; 2:44.81; 3:40.33.
The All-Time Splits compared:
Textile Top 3
- 53.02; 1:49.57; 2:45.43; 3:40.08 Ian Thorpe AUS Manchester 2002, Commonwealth Gold
- 53.59; 1:50.52; 2:46.64; 3:40.14 Sun Yang CHN London 2012 Olympic Gold
- 52.96; 1:49.97; 2:46.89; 3:41.22 Elijah Winnington Budapest 2022 Gold
Shiny Top 3
- 54.42; 1:51.02; 2:47.17; 3:40.07 Paul Biedermann GER Rome 2009 Worlds Gold
- 53.86; 1:50.44; 2:46.29; 3:41.11 Ousamma Mellouli TUN Rome 2009
- 53.97; 1:50.71; 2:47.15; 3:41.35 Zhang Lin CHN Rome 2009
The Berlin showcase offers swimmers their last chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and other internationals, including the European Junior Championships.
Märtens’ blast was the curtain closer on day 1 in Berlin, which witnessed a 4:02.48 from Isabel Gose in the 400m freestyle, just 0.09 outside her own national record – but good enough to confirm the place in Paris she’d already secured with top-three finishes the 400, 800 an d 1500m at the 2024 World Championships in Doha in February.
Leonie Märtens, sister of Lukas, who cracked the 4:07.90 cut earlier this year in 4:07.69, took silver in 4:08.84, Leonie Kullmann the bronze in 4:09.23.
Angelina Köhler, World 100 ‘fly champion in Doha, Championships, a German record 56.41 in heats crushed in 546.11 in the semi before she claimed the crown. Already selected for Paris, Köhler clocked 57.61 for the win today, ahead of Linda Roth‘s 1:00.42, third to Alina Baievych, 200 ‘fly silver medallist at the European Juniors last year, in 1:00.62.
Luca Armbruster fell just 0.01 shy of the cut in the men’s 100m butterfly in 51.68 but the medley relay may get him over the line for Paris. Eric Friese (51.89) and Peter Varjasi (52.21) completed the podium.
Ole Braunschweig, on 53.48 , a Paris cut, isn the 100m backstroke at the Berlin Swim Open last weekend. took gold today in 54.21, Marek Ulrich and Cornelius Jahn rounding off the top three in 54.43 and 54.48 respectively. The women’s 100 back final went to Laura Riedemann in 1:01.34.
On 4:12.33 in Eindhoven earlier this month for a Paris cut, Cedric Büssing took the 400m medley title today in 4:12.56, 8.48ahead of Finn Hammer (4:21.04), the women’s equivalent final led by Noelle Benkler in 4:48.07, all three medallists, with Kim Herkle and Sophie Lenze, home within 0.7sec of each other.