BUDAPEST (Hungary) -- Germany’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic Marathon Gold medalist Florian Wellbrock was the engine for his nation’s victory on Lupa Beach just 20 mins from the Duna Arena in Budapest. In the final sprint, Wellbrock found a clear path to the touchpad securing his team’s victory in the inaugural Mixed 4x1500m Team Relay.  Wellbrock stopped the clock at 1:04:40.5.  Finishing 2.5 seconds behind was the quartet from Hungary, the Kristof Rasovszky-anchored host nation narrowly defeating Italy closer Gregorio Paltrinieri in a photo finish for second place.

The German team led off with a 16:21.1 split from Lea Boy who passed the timing gate only 2.6 seconds behind Cho Cheng-Chi (TPE) who led the first lap.  Oliver Klemet timed his entry in the water from the exchange pontoon just as BOY touched the pontoon and he quickly put his team into the lead.  Leonie Beck was next into the water for Germany and gave way only to three male swimmers from Hungary, Italy and France during the third loop.  

Wellbrock left the exchange pontoon in the fourth position and made his way up front to where Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary was leading the small group of elite swimmers that included Italy’s Paltrinieri and France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier.  Within the first 400 meters, only Rasovszky was ahead by a scant three-tenths of a second.  

Paltrinieri took the lead at the 5.1km mark, but the German strategist in Wellbrock let Rasovszky and Paltrinieri battle for the lead while he found his tempo and conserved energy for his final sprint.  Only a little more than a second behind the Hungarian and Italian swimmers, Wellbrock initiated the final manoeuvres that would put him in his own lane for the final sprint. 

“Krisóf is bigger than me, getting away from him wasn’t easy at all, but Gregorio distracted him a little bit I guess, so everything turned out well in the end,” Wellbrock said.

  

The German distance specialist is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in the 10km Marathon and is the first athlete to win the gold medal in open water swimming and also in the pool event at the same edition of the FINA World Championships.  During the summer of 2019, he won the 10km in Yeosu, Korea and in the following week he won the 1500m freestyle event in the pool at Gwangju. 

At Duna Arena, he finished second in the 800m freestyle.  Less than 24 hours ago he placed third in the 1500m freestyle event which was won by Paltrinieri in a new championship record time, the second-fastest swim in event history.

Hoping for a home nation victory Rasovszky couldn't quite match Wellbrock's turn of pace as the Hungarian swimmer replayed the final leg:  “I knew they would catch me up, I didn’t have daydreams that I could swim till the end alone in front.”  

Rasovszky battled Gregorio Paltrinieri in the final sprint, with judges and Omega timing needed to determine the finishing photo order.  The Italian swimmer admitted that he had nothing left to give after winning the 1500m in a thrilling swim against the clock less than 24 hours prior:  “I was finished, honestly I was dead.” 

FIRST EXCHANGE - 1.4km

16.18.5  –  CHINESE TAIPEI (TPE) - CHO Cheng-Chi 

16:21.1  –  GERMANY (GER) - Lea BOY +2.6

16:41.5  –  UNITED STATES (USA) - Bella SIMS +23.0

16:44.1  –  PORTUGAL (POR) - Angelica RIBEIRO ANDRE +25.6

16.44.3  –  ITALY (ITA) - Ginevra TADDEUCCI +25.8


SECOND EXCHANGE - 2.9km

32.12.4  –  GERMANY (GER) - Oliver KLEMET

33.13.6  –  JAPAN (JPN) - Kaiki FURUHATA  +1:01.2

33.25.3  –  FRANCE (FRA) - Aurelie MULLER  + 1:12.9

33:26.6  –  AUSTRALIA (AUS) - Moesha JACKSON  +1:14.2

33:26.6  –  ITALY (ITA) - Giulia GARRRIELLESCHI  +1.142

 

THIRD EXCHANGE - 4.4km

49.09.1  –  HUNGARY (HUN) - David BETLEHEM

49.13.7  –  ITALY (ITA) - Domenico ACERENZA +4.6

49.14.0  –  FRANCE (FRA) - Sacha YELLY  +4.9

49.17.3  –  GERMANY (GER) - Leonie BECK +25.0

 

FINAL RESULT - 6km

1:04.40.5  –  GOLD MEDAL - GERMANY (GER) - Florian WELLBROCK

1:04.43.0  –  SILVER MEDAL - HUNGARY (HUN) - Kristóf RASOVSZKY +2.5

1:04.43.0  –  BRONZE MEDAL - ITALY (ITA) - Gregorio PALTRINIERI +2.5

 

TIDBITS

A total of 8 swimmers (5 men and 3 women) who swam in the preliminaries or the final heat of the 1500m freestyle at Duna Arena competed in the Mixed Relay.  The water temperature at Lupa Lake was 27.1 degrees, measured two hours before the start.  The air temperature at the start was 31 degrees.

 

RULES & REGS

Officially included as part of the 19th FINA World Championship programme, the Mixed 4x1500m Team Relay consists of two male and two female athletes each racing 1500m in a loop course on Lupa Lake. The first swimmer for each of the 23 competing teams starts from a dive following the starter’s signal. The order of each relay is submitted by each National Federations coach on the morning of the race. It is certain that women are racing against men during the four loops of the 6km race. Based on the abilities of each swimmer the order is of strategic interest for the respective teams.