As of: February 13, 2024, 6:25 a.m
By: Christoph Klaucke
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Angelina Köhler wins gold for Germany at the Swimming World Championships.
The butterfly expert relies on a ritual with pop queen Taylor Swift.
Doha – Gold for Germany at the 2024 World Swimming Championships in Doha.
Angelina Köhler is world champion in the 100 meter butterfly.
The 23-year-old from Berlin is ending a 15-year dry spell for the German Swimming Association.
For the first time since 2009, when Britta Steffen won twice in Rome, a German pool swimmer won World Championship gold.
Köhler gets the crucial motivation before the races by listening and dancing to the music of pop icon Taylor Swift.
Angelina Köhler celebrates swimming gold for Germany
Köhler relegated Claire Curzan from the USA to second place.
Sweden's Louie Hansson secured bronze.
Köhler clocked in 56.28 seconds in Qatar on Monday.
After her World Cup gold, Köhler celebrated: “I can’t quite process what just happened yet.
I'm also shaking all over.
The win just meant so much to me because I've been dreaming about it since I was a child.
I can't believe it.
My parents are here.” Then she burst into tears on the edge of the pool.
Angelina Köhler is happy about gold for Germany at the Swimming World Championships.
© Hassan Ammar/dpa
Taylor Swift fan wins historic swimming gold for Germany after 15 years of drought
She has a special ritual before the races; Köhler is a big fan of Taylor Swift.
“I always listen to Taylor Swift.
She means a lot to me,” she said of the pop star.
On the night of Sunday to Monday, Swift cheered on her partner Travis Kelce, who won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Köhler couldn't watch the Super Bowl himself, but the Taylor Swift fan crowned herself world champion.
“I always listen to the music and dance to it before my races because it gives me incredible strength,” she revealed.
Before the start, she sat in the call room with headphones on, sang along to “Cruel Summer” at the top of her lungs and imitated her beloved pop star.
“This is my favorite song,” she reported, “I always get really excited by it.
That takes away the excitement and gives me the power until the end.”
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Butterfly expert Angelina Köhler is going to the Olympics
For Köhler, the title is by far the greatest success of his career to date.
The day before her big triumph, the Berliner had already hinted at her exceptional form.
In both the preliminary and semi-finals she improved the German record and was faster than all her competitors.
“I love this pool here, I’m perfectly prepared,” she said afterwards.
“I’m no longer the weakest, I can keep up and swim ahead of the others in the second lane.”
With her fantastic race, Köhler secured herself the Olympic ticket and the German Swimming Association's third precious metal on the second day of the competition in the Aspire Dome.
On Sunday there was bronze for Isabel Gose and Lukas Märtens.
(ck/dpa)