Olympia 2021 - Swimming: Florian Wellbrock is fourth over the 800 meters

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Florian Wellbrock: "More was not possible today"

Photo: Clive Rose / Getty Images

Double world champion Florian Wellbrock narrowly missed the second medal for the German pool swimmer at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 23-year-old finished fourth in the 800 meter freestyle.

In 7: 42.68 minutes, Wellbrock did not come close to his German record time of 7: 41.77 minutes from the prelim.

Robert Finke secured gold - and this victory came as a surprise.

Because during the race it didn't look like the American would win for a long time;

Only shortly before the end did Finke pick up the pace and overtake his competitors.

Silver went to Gregorio Paltrinieri from Italy, who was in the lead for a long time.

Bronze went to the Ukrainian Michailo Romantschuk.

“Of course, fourth place is always bitter.

But more was not possible today, ”Wellbrock said immediately after the race on ARD.

Now he wants to concentrate on his next start over the 1500 meters.

"I'll throw everything in there and see what comes out," said Wellbrock.

The decision about the 1500 meters will be made on August 1st.

Two years after his historic double success at the 2019 World Cup in South Korea, when he won gold in open water over ten kilometers and over 1500 meters freestyle within a few days, Wellbrock did not make the hoped-for start in Japan with an award ceremony on the podium.

The day before, his fiancée Sarah Köhler had celebrated with bronze in the 1500 meter freestyle, the first medal for the German pool swimmer since Britta Steffen's double gold in Beijing in 2008.

mon / dpa