2025 GERMAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, May 1st – Sunday, May 4th
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50m)
- SwimSwam Preview
- Entries/Results
Day two of the 2025 German Swimming Championships unfolded tonight in Berlin with World Championships bids on the line.
As a refresher, this competition marks an additional qualification opportunity for athletes to add their names to the nation’s roster for Singapore, although German athletes were able to qualify at any World Aquatics-approved competition from April 7th through May 4th.
23-year-old Lukas Märtens has already made the grade in multiple events, highlighted by the men’s 400m freestyle, the race in which he ripped a new World Record earlier this month.
At the Swim Open Stockholm on April 13th, Märtens overtook the longstanding 400m free WR benchmark of 3:40.07 retired countryman Paul Biedermann put on the books during the supersuited 2009 World Championships.
Märtens’ effort rendered him the first-ever man under the 3:40 barrier, surpassing his previous lifetime best of 3:40.33 notched at the 2024 German Nationals.
While Märtens bypassed the 400m free event at last week’s Berlin Swim Open, he was back at it tonight and put up another head-turning performance of 3:40.61 to grab the gold.
The reigning Olympic champion led 23-year-old Oliver Klemet who clocked 3:43.43 for silver, followed by Olympic champion and open water ace Florian Wellbrock.
Wellbrock touched in 3:46.44 while 18-year-old Johannes Liebmann followed up his 1500m free German Age Record from last weekend with a solid 3:48.79 as the 4th place finisher.
Splits for top 4 finishers:
Klemet was just off his season-best of 3:43.30 to retain his position as the 2nd German Worlds qualifier.
As for Märtens, his 3:40.61 effort this evening represents the 10th-best performance in history and he now owns 3 of the swiftest swims ever produced. It also beat his Olympic gold medal-winning result of 3:41.78 from Paris.
Top 10 Men’s LCM 400 Free Performances All-Time
- 3:39.96 – Lukas Märtens (GER), 2025
- 3:40.07 – Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009
- 3:40.08 – Ian Thorpe (AUS), 2002
- 3:40.14 – Sun Yang (CHN), 2012
- 3:40.17 – Ian Thorpe, 2001
- 3:40.29 – Sun Yang, 2011
- 3:40.33 – Lukas Märtens, 2024
- 3:40.54 – Ian Thorpe, 2002
- 3:40.59 – Ian Thorpe, 2000
- 3:40.61 – Lukas Märtens, 2025
Oliver Klemet is severely underrated. 3:42, 7:44, 14:43 in the pool and Paris silver medalist on 10km. And btw he’s 5’8. #5’8ahhforthewin
He may be the smallest on the podium but he’s the biggest in our hearts ❤️ #5’8ahhforthewin
Couldn’t have said it better, friend.
How many alts do you have.
Sam Short is also similar height
3:40, 7:37, 14:37
Not similar, it’s considerably better (not discrediting Klemet)
Since he is 5’8 ahh he’s able to spring off the blocks faster than Lukas “GOAT of 400” Martens
theres a glut of elite german distance swimmers who keep missing international teams — they should move down some events and target the 200 like martens. could be a very dangerous 4 x 200 with martens as the pointy end if they could find 2 more legs. their lack of depth also forces them into wasting martens on their prelims lineup
Lukas is probably going to hit 3:38 in Singapore. I think 2 more swimmers might go below 3:40.
holy moly
Well this is consistency I am satisfied with seeing from Lukas