Germany's Magdeburg wins big in Open Water at World Aquatics Championships

by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Alongside a spontaneous celebration at their club headquarters, coaches and fellow athletes at Sportclub Magdeburg enjoyed setting up their own medal table for the Open Water at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

"Two golds for Australia, two golds for Germany - that makes four golds for Magdeburg," said Germany national coach Bernd Berkhahn, after Australia's Moesha Johnson and Germany's Florian Wellbrock claimed gold in both the women's and men's five- and ten-kilometer open water events.

Although competing for different countries, both 27-year-olds represent the same club and benefit from elite-level training in the East German city.

For Wellbrock, the victories in Singapore marked a welcome return to form after his disappointing performance at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Watched by his parents, Anja and Bernd, the German managed to put behind the difficult memories that had weighed on him since the biggest setback of his career. Wellbrock, who enjoyed the warmer waters off Sentosa Island, had even considered retiring after missing out on the 800m and 1,500m finals in Paris.

Following the Olympic disappointment, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion revamped his training routines and worked closely with a new sports psychologist.

The competitive spirit within the Magdeburg club - known for producing champions - helped reignite his passion for swimming. Shortly after his wins in Singapore, Wellbrock rushed into his parents' arms. His father Bernd wiped away tears of joy while his mother Anja tried to hide her emotions behind sunglasses.

"I have to admit, warmer water suits me much better than the conditions we had in Paris," said Wellbrock, an eight-time world champion.

While Wellbrock was recovering from Olympic heartbreak, Johnson had taken silver in the women's 10-kilometer race in Paris.

Despite rediscovering his love for the sport, Wellbrock acknowledged the physical demands of competing in Asia. "Racing five kilometers just two days after the ten was a real challenge for everyone. I didn't feel confident in the five and, like everyone else, had to push to the absolute limit," he said.

"The human body is only built to withstand so much in these kinds of temperatures," Wellbrock added.

Both Wellbrock and Johnson credited heat chamber training in recent weeks for their strong performances. "We did a lot of that preparation, and it seems to have paid off," Wellbrock said.

Delighted with their shared success in Singapore, Wellbrock described it as "the perfect restart" to his career. Back in Magdeburg, the club celebrated with a special toast to their gold-medal haul. Enditem