2016 German National Championships – Day 2 Finals Live Recap

128. DEUTSCHE MEISTERSCHAFTEN, BERLIN – GERMAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND OLYMPIC TRIALS (PART 1), BERLIN

• Thursday, May 5 – Sunday, May 8, 2016
• Prelims: 9 am local, Finals: 5 pm local, on Sunday: 4 pm local
• Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europa-Sportpark (SSE)
• Eventpage
• Schedule
• Start lists
• Results

Short reminder of German Olympic qualification procedure: The 2016 German National Championships are the first part of a two-step nomination procedure for the Olympic Games. The athletes had to swim defined times at National Championships in prelims and in finals. All swimmers who achieve the times will be part of the so-called “long list” and must inform German Head Coach Henning Lambertz in the period of one week after German Nationals in which meet they want to confirm the required performance of the nomination process: at one of the three meets of the Mare Nostrum tour or the German Open. They can only choose ONE of these four possibilities. For this meet, other times are set which are approximately 1,5 % slower than those at German nationals. All swimmers who reach the times and have also finished first or second at the German National Championships will qualify for Rio.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE (NON-OLYMPIC EVENT) – FINAL

• The Podium –
  • Johanna Roas, 28.45
  • Nadine Laemmler, 28.76
  • Laura Riedemann, 28.77

The first of our series of sprint events today was as close as one would expect in as short a distance as 50m, as the top 3 females in the 50m backstroke were separated by just .32 of a second.  Leading the charge was Johanna Roas who clocked a 28.45 for gold, followed by Nadien Laemmler just .31 behind in 28.76.

Both of the top 2 finishers compete in the United States’ NCAA system, with Roas competing for the University of Denver, while Laemmler competes for Mizzou.

Also making waves in this first event was 18-year old Laura Riedemann. With her time of 28.77, she not only earned bronze, but also scored a new German Age Group Record in the event to kick off our evening session.

MEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE (NON-OLYMPIC EVENT) – FINAL

• The Podium –
  • Marco di Carli, 25.43
  • Carl Louis Schwarz, 25.48
  • Mark Ulrich, 25.50

With top-seeded Jan-Philip Glania (25.05) deciding to scratch the final, Marco di Carli took advantage of the middle lane, stopping the clock at 25.43 to win the non-Olympic event. That’s exactly a tenth faster than his previous personal best of 25.53, which he registered at this same meet last year.

Runner-up today was Carl Louis Scwarz, who touched just .05 of a second behind, followed by Mark Ulrich who missed out on silver by just .02 of a second.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE (NON-OLYMPIC EVENT) – FINAL

• The Podium –
  • Laura Simon – 31.73
  • Caroline Ruhnau – 32.01
  • Alice Ruhnau– 32.02

The next non-Olympic sprint event saw another NCAA swimmer take the win, as Laura Simon raced her way to the top of the podium in 31.73. Simon, who swims for the University of Virginia, was the only swimmer to venture into sub-32-second territory, matching her heats time exactly. Tonight’s runner-up, Caroline Ruhnau, clocked a 32.01 for silver, improving on her morning swim of 32.25.

Just behind, but still making it onto the podium, was Caroline’s sister Alice Ruhnau. Alice registered a time of 31.87 this morning in prelims, but managed just a 32.02 to finish .01 shy of her sister this evening.

MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE (NON-OLYMPIC EVENT) – FINAL

• The Podium –
  • Fabian Schwingenschlögl, 27.37
  • Erik Steinhagen, 27.89
  • Nils Wich-Glasen, 28.04

Fabian Schwingenschlögl followed up his stellar NCAA Championships with a big-time performance here in Berlin, raking in his first-ever German National Title. Checking in with the world’s 10th-fastest time in this non-Olympic event, Schwingenschlögl topped his peers in a time of 27.37, his personal best by half of a second. That’s encouraging for Fabian fans who are looking for him to score a qualifying time in the 100m breaststroke coming up later in the meet.

Schwingenschlögl is the United States’ 2016 NCAA Champion in the 100y breaststroke event, becoming the first NCAA title winner in Mizzou program history.

Silver tonight went to Erik Steinhagen in 27.89, while bronze went to Nils Wich-Glasen in 28.04.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Nomination Time – Finals 4:09.08
• The Podium –
  • Sarah Köhler, 4:06.65
  • Johanna Friedrich, 4:09.52
  • Leonie Antonia Beck, 4:10.81

Crushing a personal best to land a Rio-qualifying time tonight was 21-year old Sarah Köhler, who charged to the wall in a time of 4:06.65 for the victory. Köhler’s personal best entering this meet was the 4:09.21 she scored in Kazan, so tonight’s mark ripped that to shreds, shaving over 2 seconds off. Her time tonight checks in just outside the world’s top ten speediest marks on the season, yet signifies her 2nd individual qualifying event thus far, after having already won the 800m freestyle yesterday.

Falling less than a second off the necessary 4:09.08 mark was silver medalist Johanna Friedrich, who touched in 4:09.52.  A small consolation is the fact Friedrich notched a new personal best in this event, albeit by just .02 of a second.

Bronze tonight went to Leonie Antonia Beck, who touched in 4:10.81. Beck earned silver yesterday in the women’s 800m freestyle event and was able to clock a qualifying time in that longer distance, therefore the SV Würzburg swimmer is 1 for 2 in terms of Olympic qualification so far this meet.

Fun fact in this event – Anke Mohring’s German National Record of 4:05.89 was set all the way back in 1989, yet still remains in tact today.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Nomination Time – Finals 3:47.49
• The Podium –
  • Florian Vogel, 3:44.89
  • Clemens Rapp, 3:47.53
  • Poul Zellman, 3:48.88

Making his mark early on in this meet was 21-year old Florian Vogel of SG Stadtwerke München. Vogel, who made headlines last year saving a potential drowning victim while on a photo shoot, trounced his previous 400m freestyle lifetime best of 3:46.53 by wrangling in a time of 3:44.89 tonight. Not only did Vogel represent the only sub-3:45 swimmer of the final field, but he was also the only participant to notch an Olympic-qualifying time tonight.

Vogel’s time registers as the 5th-fastest time in the world this season.

Just .04 over the Rio-qualifying mark was Clemens Rapp, who finished in 3:47.53 for silver. Bronze went to Poul Zellman in 3:48.88.

WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY (NON-OLYMPIC EVENT) – FINAL

• The Podium –
  • Dorothea Brandt – 26.02
  • Aliena Schmidtke – 26.08
  • Alexandra Wenk – 26.17

In this tightly contested battle, the top 3 women all scored times beneath the current German National Record in this event. Led by Dorothea Brandt’s wicked-fast time of 26.02, Aliena Schmidtke (Ohio State Buckeye) and Alexandra Wenk also skimmed under the previous NR of 26.33, finishing in marks of 26.08 and 26.17, respectively.

Although not an Olympic event, tonight’s top 2 finishers fall within the world’s top 10 and offer promise for their upcoming qualifying events later on in the meet.

MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY (NON-OLYMPIC EVENT) – FINAL

• The Podium –
  • Bjorn Hornikel, 23.63
  • Steffen Diebler, 23.78
  • Damian Wierling, 23.82

Another 50m race, another super close finish, with the top 3 men all touching less than two tenths of a second apart from one another. Former University of Alabama swimmer Bjorn Hornikel got his hand on the wall first, earning a mark of 23.63 for the German National Title.

Steffen Diebler wound up right behind in 23.78, followed by Damian Wierling in 23.82 to end tonight’s A Final session.