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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
Linda Roth had a breakthrough performance at last week’s German Championships in Berlin, winning two individual titles and going five-for-five in personal best times.
Although it wasn’t one of her victories, arguably her best performance of the meet came in the 100 freestyle, where the 17-year-old knocked more than eight-tenths off her personal best time in the prelims.
Roth put up a time of 54.30, qualifying with the top spot heading into the final while shattering her previous best of 55.11 to become the fourth-fastest German woman of all-time and the 15th-fastest European junior ever.
All-Time German Performers, Women’s 100 Freestyle (LCM)
- Britta Steffen, 52.07 – 2009
- Daniela Schreiber, 53.76 – 2009
- Nina Holt, 53.81 – 2025
- Annika Bruhn, 53.96 – 2021
- Linda Roth, 54.30 – 2026
- Petra Dallmann, 54.35 – 2008
- Antje Buschschulte / Franziska Van Almsick, 54.39 – 2000 / 2002
- –
- Daniela Samulski, 54.44 – 2009
- Nicole Maier, 54.47 – 2026
In the final, Roth placed 3rd in 54.50, with Nina Holt capturing the national title in 54.38, and Nicole Maier earning the runner-up spot in 54.47.
Split Comparison
| Roth, 2024 | Roth, 2026 GER Prelims | Roth, 2026 GER Final |
| 26.31 | 26.13 | 26.30 |
| 55.11 (28.80) | 54.30 (28.17) | 54.50 (28.20) |
In addition to her 100 free breakthrough, Roth also won national titles in the 200 IM (2:12.47) and 400 IM (4:43.20), setting new personal bests in both. She moves to #6 all-time among German women in the 200 IM and #10 in the 400 IM.
She also placed 2nd in the 800 free in a lifetime best of 8:38.23, and set a new PB of 2:13.58 in the prelims of the 200 fly before taking 5th in the final (2:15.67).
These performances came on the heels of dealing with an injury that kept her out of the 2025 German Championships.
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Looks like I can call myself a double German champion now :))
What a week. Winning two titles in the senior age group still feels unreal. I’m really happy with my performances at the German Championships.
This season has been a big step for me, especially with the move to a new training group and being part of a new team. I’m very grateful for the trust and the work we’ve put in together.
After my injury, I’m especially proud of how my
comeback went – it wasn’t always easy, but it makes these moments even more special.There’s still a lot to come, and I’m really looking forward to the next competitions and the rest of the season!
Roth announced last July that she was moving from her longtime home of SV Cannstatt to Magdeburg, the home of the German national swimming center. Magdeburg has been a factory for producing elite distance freestylers in recent years, including Johannes Liebmann, who made a statement earlier in July by breaking the European Record in the men’s 800 free.
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