Josha Salchow Swims 47.85 100 Freestyle, Breaks German Record At The 2024 Berlin Open

2024 BERLIN SWIM OPEN

• Friday, April 19th – Sunday, April 21st
• Berlin, Germany
• LCM (50m)
• Olympic Qualifying Event
• Live Results
• Livestream

Day one of the 2024 Berlin Open started off fairly quiet, as many of the big name swimmers are focused on next week’s National Championships at this same venue. Both meets serve as Olympic qualifying opportunities though, and Josha Salchow took full advantage.

The 24-year-old popped a winning time of 47.85 in the men’s 100 freestyle, which erased Rafael Miroslaw‘s 2022 national record of 47.92 in the event. His record was largely due to his closing speed, as his final 50 of 24.74 was much faster than Miroslaw’s 25.03.

A big swim from Salchow was foreshadowed last November, when he swam 48.39 at the Japan Open to become the 5th fastest in German history. Salchow trains under the guidance of Craig Stewart in Adelaide, Australia, where butterfly star Matthew Temple also trains.

You can review a full splits comparison between Salchow’s new record and Miroslaw’s previous one, below:

Splits Comparison:

Salchow competed on German relays at the 2023 World Championships and provided some helpful splits for the team. He logged a leg of 47.92 in the prelims for the men’s 4x100m free relay, 1:47.35 as a member of Germany’s 7th place men’s 4x200m free relay, and 47.89 anchoring the 8th place men’s medley relay.

Top 5 German Men’s LCM 100 Freestylers Of All-Time:

1. Josha Salchow – 47.85, 2024
2. Rafael Miroslaw – 47.92, 2022
3. Marco Di Carli – 48.24, 2011
4. Steffan Deibler – 48.27, 2016
5. Paul Biedermann – 48.31, 2014

Race Video (1:57:00 of Livestream):

Another notable swim came from 25-year-old Melvin Imoudu, who clocked 59.51 to win the men’s 100 breaststroke. His performance was just shy of the World Aquatics Olympic Qualification Time of 59.49 needed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. However, last week, Imoudu roared to a swift 59.07 at the Eindoven Qualification meet to dip under that mandated standard. He will likely find himself on the German Olympic team, but we’ll have to wait and see what transpires at the German National Championships later this month before it’s official.

Ole Braunschweig led from start to finish in the men’s 50 backstroke. The 26-year-old notched a time of 24.70 to win the final after matching his national record (24.57) during prelims. He initially set the record at the 2023 edition of these championships.

Other Highlight Swims:

• 20-year-old Nele Schulze hit the wall as the only sub-2 minute representative in the women’s 200 free. She opened her race in 28.19 before splitting 30.75, 30.52, and 30.08 on the final three 50s. She narrowly missed her career best (1:59.08) from the Malmsten Stockholm Open meet in 2024.
• Serbia’s Anja Crevar produced a gold medal-winning 4:46.96 in the women’s 400 IM. Her best time stands at 4:38.72 from the 2019 Spanish Championships. She recently recorded a 4th place finish at February’s World Championship meet with a new best time of 4:38.93.
• David Thomasberger, 28, put his hands on the wall in 1:57.78 to win the men’s 200 fly. He showcased strong easy speed (55.02) at the 100m turn before finishing in 1:02.76 over the back half. He owns the German record of 1:55.02 from the 2021 Heidelberg Olympic Qualifying meet. 1:55.78 is the time required to qualify for the Paris Olympics, so he’ll need to get within a second of his fastest-ever performance.
• Jessica Felsner came slightly short of her lifetime best to win the women’s 50 free. She stopped the clock in 24.88 to just miss the 24.84 that she threw down at this meet last year. The World Aquatics Olympic qualifying time sits at 24.70.