2 Germans cracked nomination times for World Championships in prelims

German National Championships and World Championships Trials

• Thursday, June 15 – Sunday, June 18
• LCM
• Schwimm- und Spunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE), Berlin
• Event Site
• Schedule
• Start lists 
• Results
• Live timing

The 129th German National Championships kicks off today in Berlin. The championships are also the qualification competition for the World Championships in Hungary in July.

The athletes must reach nomination standards in prelims and finals and only Olympic events are relevant for the World Championships (without the newly added events for the 2020 Olympic Games).

German head coach Henning Lambertz said that he expects only a few participants because the German nomination standards are really tough. The German Swimming Federation gives an extra chance to youngsters, born 1995 or later, with special qualifying times.

Only two swimmers were able to crack the nomination times today: Poul Zellmann swam a life time best in the 400 m freestyle in 3:47,68. Poul hits with his result the required nomination time for swimmers born 1995 or later. And he now sits on the 15th position in the current world ranking.

Also a life time best came from Fabian Schwingenschlögel, a German student-athlete at the University of Missouri (USA). Fabian finished in 1:00,04. In today’s final, he must again swim a personal best time to make it into the German roster for Budapest: 59,45 are the goal.

200m breaststroke world champion Marco Koch started in the 100m distance, finished third in prelims in 1:00,79. Koch said that he has changed a lot in his training recently and hasn’t participated in as much competions as he did in the previous years, he and has added more strength training. He feels good, he said at the opening press conference, but can’t estimate how fast he can go.

Many German top swimmers retired in 2016 like Paul Biedermann and Steffen Deibler.

Dorothea Brandt, Germany’s fastest 50m freestyle lady over the last years, suffered a shoulder injury and now undergoes rehabilition.

Alexandra Wenk, who is the German record holder in the 100 m butterfly and 200 m IM, doesn’t participate because of a training deficit, she also had shoulder problems. She is focussing on the 2020 Olympic Games.

And 22-year old Florian Vogel, one of Germany’s most promising swimmers, retired just before this German National Championships last Friday.

The 129th German Championships takes place in Berlin until Sunday and starts today with prelims in the morning:

Women’s 50m butterfly, prelims

German National Record: 00:26, 02 Dorothea Brandt SG Essen 
(not possible to qualify for World Championships)

Aliena Schmidtke, who is a former student at the Ohio State University, was very close to Dorothea Brandt’s German record with her time of 26,07.

A-finalists:

Men’s 50m butterfly, prelims

German National Record 00:23,02  Steffen Deibler Hamburger SV
(not possible to qualify for World Championships)

A-finalists:

Women’s 400m freestyle, prelims

German National Record 04 :05 ,84 Anke Möhring SC Magdeburg
Qualification time – open: Prelims 4:04,36
Qualification time U23 (Born 1995 or later): Prelims 4:10,57
(Times must be reached in prelims)

A-finalists:

Men’s 400m freestyle, prelims

German National Record 03:40,07 Paul Biedermann SV Halle/Saale (also World record and European record)
Qualification time – open: Prelims 3:45,43
Qualification time U23 (Born 1995 or later): Prelims 3:48,15
(Times must be reached in prelims) 

Poul Zellmann participated in all stops of the 2016 FINA World Cup and one reason was that he wants to learn to control his nervousness before big finals. Today he was focussed, concentrated and fast enough with a personal best time at the right time.

Women’s 200m breaststroke, prelims

German National Record 02:25,33 Birte Steven AM TV-FTV Hamburg
Qualification times – open: Prelims/Finals  2:26,58/2:22,87
Qualification times U23 (Born 1995 or later): Prelims/Finals 2:25,91/2:25,18

The fastest woman in this season was Jessica Steiger in 2:25,84 (personal best time) but to make it into the World Championships team she must improve her time by nearly 3 seconds. At yesterday’s opening press conference she said that she won’t reach this time but that she will attack the German record (2:25,33).

1. Vanessa Grimberg 1993 SV Region Stuttgart 0.72 02:27,60 (A) 00:33,40 01:10,86 01:48,85 02:27,60
2. Jessica Steiger 1992 VFL Gladbeck 1921 0.70 02:28,12 (A) 00:33,44 01:10,86 01:48,57 02:28,12
3. Anna Kroniger 2000 SV Blau-Weiß Bochum 0.69 02:30,59 (A) 00:34,10 01:12,14 01:51,23 02:30,59
4. Franziska Weidner 1996 SG Mittelfranken 0.75 02:32,18 (A) 00:34,94 01:13,05 01:52,70 02:32,18
5. Helena Zink 1999 SG Gotha-Arnstadt (G) 0.75 02:34,65 (A) 00:34,38 01:13,94 01:54,31 02:34,65
6. Michelle Lambert 1994 SG Essen 0.75 02:34,66 (A) 00:34,61 01:13,43 01:53,46 02:34,66
7. Noa Hörster 2000 SG Essen 0.77 02:34,67 (A) 00:35,25 01:14,48 01:54,49 02:34,67
8. Phillis Michelle Range 1999 TWG 1861 Göttingen 0.71 02:34,69 (A) 00:34,65 01:14,10 01:54,54 02:34,69

Men’s 100m breaststroke, prelims

German National Record 00:59,15 Hendrik Feldwehr SG Essen
Qualification times – open: Prelims/Finals 1:00,26/0:59,45
Qualification times U23 (Born 1995 or later): Prelims/Finals 1:00,35/1:00,05

Fabian Schwingenschlögel in absolutely fine shape cracked the prelims qualification time. In tonight’s final, he has the chance to qualify for his first big international swim meet, the World Championships.

Women’s 400m IM, prelims

German National Record 04:36,10 Petra Schneider SC Karl-Marx-Stadt
Qualification time – open: Prelims 4:36,54
Qualification time U23 (Born 1995 or later): Prelims 4:43,06
(Times must be reached in prelims) 

Youngster Julia Mrozinski set the fastest time, not near the qualification time but the young Lady will start at the Junior World Championships.

A-finalists:

Men’s 100m backstroke, prelims

German National Record 00:52,27 Helge Meeuw SG Frankfurt
Qualification times – open: Prelims/Finals 0:53,99/0:53,34
Qualification times U23 (Born 1995 or later): Prelims/Finals 0:54,06/0:53,79

The 2016 Olympic finalist in the 100m backstroke, Jan-Philip Glania, has a training deficit because of an injury and wasn’t able to reach the required time.

You see all times in the sheet – some standards for the World Championships are faster than the current German national records.