Swimmer Lukas Märtens cancels the start of the World Cup in Budapest due to illness

Olympic champion Lukas Märtens canceled his start at the Short Course World Championships in Budapest at short notice for health reasons. “I had a sore throat all night, had to cough and then woke up with body aches,” the exceptional swimmer was quoted as saying by the German Swimming Association. Märtens actually wanted to compete in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay on Tuesday and in the individual 400 meter freestyle in the 25 meter pool on Thursday to swim. “I’m someone who’s always up for it and sometimes starts with aches and pains. In this condition it simply doesn’t make sense to swim a competition,” said Märtens before his early return home. The 22-year-old won the gold medal in the 400 meter freestyle at the Olympic Games in Paris.