Florian Wellbrock was condemned to watch at the edge of the pool. The 27-year-old won what was probably his most unusual swimming medal at the Short Course World Championships: he smiled about silver not in the water, but in the stands. Wellbrock finished in the 1500 meter freestyle in Budapest in the morning after 14:17.27 minutes. Before the last run in the evening, which Wellbrock followed in his tracksuit, he didn’t know what this time was worth. In the end only one was faster. The Tunisian Ahmed Jaouadi secured gold just ahead of Wellbrock. “That wasn’t to be expected at first because I took a long break after the Olympic Games – which was also important,” Wellbrock told ARD radio happily after his strong performance Race in his time. Before the decisive race, he explained to the audience in the hall from his seat: “It’s strange to sit here.” He was repeatedly shown while Jaouadi swam. In big title fights like the Olympics, heats usually only take place in which the swimmers can qualify for a final. At the World Championships on the 25-meter track, things are different this time on the longest distances. Each athlete only has one chance to deliver a fast time. Because Wellbrock hasn’t swum any short-course races recently and therefore couldn’t show a quick registration time, he was already challenged in the morning. The Bremen native, who trains in Magdeburg with national long-distance coach Bernd Berkhahn, has had a difficult year. He experienced a debacle at the Paris Summer Games. In Hungary, where he also wants to compete in the 800 meter freestyle, he wants to have a conciliatory end to the year – and something else. “First of all, have fun again,” said Wellbrock as his goal. “That is actually what has been lost on me over the last few months or maybe even years.” The silver medal right at the start will help.
#Strange #silver
