2025 GERMAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, May 1st – Sunday, May 4th
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50m)
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Recap
- Entries/Results
Day two finals of the 2025 German Swimming Championships started with a bang, as Sven Schwarz powered his way to a new European Record in the men’s 800m freestyle.
The 23-year-old ripped a huge lifetime best of 7:38.12 to claim gold, defeating Florian Wellbrock and Oliver Klemet in the process. The former settled for silver well back in 7:43.79 while the latter earned bronze in 7:44.61.
Schwarz’s time shaved .07 off the former European Record of 7:38.19 Irishman Daniel Wiffen put on the books en route to winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Schwarz was in that final, reaping a 5th-place finish in a result of 7:43.59, although that wasn’t his best-ever performance.
Entering this competition, Schwarz’s career-quickest mark rested at the 7:41.77 notched at the inaugural U23 Championships to claim the gold there. That means tonight’s groundbreaking outing hacked over 3 seconds off that prior PB.
He also dropped more than a second off the previous German national record of 7:39.48 Lukas Märtens established at the 2023 World Championships.
Splits for Sven Schwarz‘s New 7:38.12 European Record
With his monster performance, Schwarz now becomes the 5th-swiftest performer in history.
Top 10 Men’s LCM 800 Free Performers All-Time
- Zhang Lin (CHN) – 7:32.12, 2009
- Ous Mellouli (TUN) – 7:35.27, 2009
- Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN) – 7:37.00, 2023
- Sam Short (AUS) – 7:37.76, 2023
- Sven Schwarz (GER) – 7:38.12, 2025 *European Record
- Daniel Wiffen (IRL) – 7:38.19
- Sun Yang (CHN) – 7:38.57, 2011
- Grant Hackett (AUS) – 7:38.65, 2005
- Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:38.67, 2023
- Ian Thorpe (AUS) – 7:39.16, 2001
Schwarz is continuing the momentum Lukas Märtens kicked off with his 400m free World Record at April’s Swim Open Stockholm.
Since then, multiple age records have fallen, including Johannes Liebmann in the 1500m free and Kaii Winkler in the 100m free. Additionally, Anna Elendt produced a new national record of 2:23.93 in the women’s 200m breast at the Berlin Swim Open.
We reported how Olympic champion Wiffen has been vocal about his desire to grow his current world record resume from one (SCM 800 free) to four by the time LA 2028 rolls around. With the four-headed German monster of Schwarz, Märtens, Klemet and Wellbrock, however, he and the rest of the world will have their work cut out for them.
Well what’s insane is how fast paltrinieri and finke can do the 8 while never touching sub 345
Any one know if rainer henkel still holds age group distance records in Germany?
He does… 1500 for the 15 y.o. boys.
The last one standing is LC 1500m from 04.08.1979 in Bonn: 15:40,66 (15 years old)
Germany should push for 4×800 in LA or Brisbane
Jeez… a lot of mistakes in that top performers list
Hackett still being number 8, 20 years later even with the evolution of men’s distance swimming 😮.
Daily chirp: what happened to young Lieberman?
Distance swimming is the most gender lopsided realm in sport. Second would be balance beam.
Quadarella missed the podium with 8:14 last year. I would argue it’s more of men’s distance swimming finally catching up to the women’s.
That’s like a guy going 7:42 and missing the podium😂. Yes, Jaouadi was 4th at 7:42, however that’s missing wellbrock, short, Hafnaoui, and martens. Men’s distance cleans
how is it lopsided
Men’s distance events are super competitive now (has been since Fukuoka), and arguably the most exciting men’s events.
Women’s distance events are not competitive, Ledecky is GOAT, but women’s distance is the most boring women’s events as you can accurately predict the winner months in advance.
It’s a shame summer didn’t have a crack at the 800 last year. Would have been a great race
Hopefully Summer will swim 800 in Worlds or Olympics.
He can follow Ian Thorpe: swam 800 at worlds once and never again.
Three different German distance swimmers leading the world rankings in the 400 (Märtens), 800 (Schwarz) an 1500 (Wellbrock), crazy depth
I wouldn’t call this crazy depth until they have great backstrokers, breaststrokers, and butterfliers in both genders.
Crazy depth as in men’s mid-d freestyle
Context matters.
Jeez