Lukas Märtens Posts World Leading 3:40.33 400 Freestyle To Open German Championships

2024 GERMAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)

On the first night of competition in Berlin, Lukas Märtens posted a 3:40.33 in the men’s 400 freestyle, the fastest time in the World this season.

Märtens swims a world-leading time after both Elijah Winnington and Sam Short of Australia posted what previously were the fastest two times in the World this season just last week as they swam a 3:41.41 and a 3:41.64 respectively. Märtens had been #4 in the World this season as he swam a 3:42.96 at the 2024 World Championships in Doha in February.

TOP 5 TIMES IN THE WORLD THIS SEASON

  1. Lukas Märtens, GER, 3:40.33 (2024 German Champs)
  2. Elijah Winnington, AUS, 3:41.41 (April 2024)
  3. Sam Short, AUS, 3:41.64 (April 2024)
  4. Woomin Kim, KOR, 3:42.71 (2024 Worlds)
  5. Oliver Klement, GER, 3:42.81

Märtens previous personal best time stood at a 3:41.60 that he swam in April 2022 at the Stockholm Open. At 2022 Worlds just two months later, he swam a 3:42.85 for silver.

Märtens will look to make waves in the event this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics but the battle will not be easy. He has been a consistent member on the podium in the event at the last three World Championships as he won bronze in 2023 and 2024 and silver in 2022. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Märtens did not make the event’s final as he was 12th in prelims with a 3:46.30.

Not only was Märtens’ time the fastest in the World this season but he also was just off of Paul Biedermann‘s World Record of a 3:40.07 that he set at the 2009 World Championships in the super-suit era. Märtens’ swim makes him the #4 performer of all-time, climbing from his previous rank of 11th.

Top 4 Men’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time

  1. Paul Biedermann (GER) – 3:40.07, 2009
  2. Ian Thorpe (AUS) – 3:40.08, 2002
  3. Sun Yang (CHN) – 3:40.14, 2012
  4. Lukas Märtens (GER) – 3:40.33, 2024
  5. Sam Short (AUS) – 3:40.68, 2023
  6. Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN) – 3:40.70, 2023
  7. Ous Mellouli (TUN) – 3:41.11), 2009
  8. Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 3:41.22
  9. Lin Zhang (CHN) – 3:41.35
  10. Park Tae Hwan (KOR) – 3:41.53, 2010

Split Comparison:

Märtens Märtens Biedermann
Split 2022 Thursday 2009
50m 25.71 25.00 26.29
100m 28.21 (53.92) 27.37 (52.37) 28.13 (54.42)
150m 28.31 27.87 28.01
200m 28.29 (56.60/1:50.52) 28.35 (56.22/1:48.59) 28.59 (56.60/1:51.02)
250m 27.77 28.21 27.76
300m 27.94 (55.71) 28.01 (56.22) 28.39 (56.15)
350m 27.97 28.12 27.13
400m 27.40 (55.37/1:51.08) 27.40 (55.52/1:51.74) 25.77 (52.90/1:49.05)

Biedermann closed much faster than Märtenss but it is notable that the super suit typically helped swimmers finish better

In This Story

246
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

246 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
John26
6 months ago

Looks like Maertens swam the 100free (48.86) today instead of the 800free? 🙁

We were possibly deprived of a textile record or close to it

Susan
6 months ago

What individual WRs will go down at Trials or Paris??
My predictions..
Women.
50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 400 free, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 back, 200 im
Men.
400 free, 800 free, 1500 free, 200 breast, 200 im

Winkelschleifer
Reply to  Susan
6 months ago

No Chance 800 Free will go down

Greg P
Reply to  Susan
6 months ago

Men’s 800 free WR

Lmfao 😂

Greg P
6 months ago

My Paris men’s 400 free prediction:

🏅 Lukas Maertens WR

🥈 Elijah Winnington

🥉 Sam Short

A C
6 months ago

1.44.79 200, 3.40.33 400, 7.39.48 800, 14.40.28 1500 bro is cooking

Adrian
Reply to  A C
6 months ago

Also 48.89 100 free last week

Martin
Reply to  A C
6 months ago

And 1:56.1 in 200m back

John26
6 months ago

The other day, some posters were making of list of swimmers who have no haters: Thorpe and Phelps. Those guys were gods

Jason
Reply to  John26
6 months ago

Agree, they were both perfect swimmers with ridiculous margins on their competitors. As much as Biederman’s WR pains me, it was not his fault. I don’t get the hate. He did the best he could with the legal swimsuits at the time. We would have all done the same. We all know Thorpe holds the real WR. Lukas is getting close, and with the two Aussies, they will push each other to 3.39 in Paris.

Dakotamug
Reply to  Jason
6 months ago

sounds like you’re hating too since you don’t acknowledge his very legal world record

DK99
Reply to  John26
6 months ago

I’m a little bit of a Phelps hater, the way he looked so angry after every swim and the way he was always spitting water after finishing always annoyed me lol

Martin
Reply to  John26
6 months ago

Wasn’t Thorpe wearing also a long arm/leg suit?

Joel
Reply to  Martin
6 months ago

Yes but his suit was really not helpful believe it or not. He had to wear it due to sponsorship.

Greg P
Reply to  Martin
6 months ago

It was textile.

Also, if anything, it actually slowed down his improvements.

Thorpe swam 3:41 as a 16 yo in *briefs*

He swam 3:40 as 17-18-19 yo in Adidas body suit.

There were talks and analysis that his full arm suit somewhat restricted his arm movements. He would’ve better off worn just leg suit like the ones that Phelps wore.

But Adidas wanted him to wear the black body suit for visual impact.

Admin
Reply to  John26
6 months ago

Strong disagree. Phelps has tons of haters, especially for some of his out-of-the-pool transgressions.

Thorpe…the worst I can recall is his special Olympic qualification in the 400 after the DQ at Trials in 2004 because he’s Ian Thorpe, some people are annoyed by that, but I agree not really “hate.” More people hate the referee who DQ’ed him than Thorpe himself lol.

Mr Piano
Reply to  Braden Keith
6 months ago

Oh yeah if swimswam was around in 2004 everyone in the comment section would absolutely clown on Thorpe for “buying his Olympic spot” or something lol. It’d have been a huge mess.

Owlmando
6 months ago

Really interesting splitting, like an ncaa 500. I think its smart, and also very cool, that its coming to this. With the aid of a super suit, or talent like Thorpe, its virtually impossible to close like the 3.40 flats of the past. May as well get ahead of it and try to hang on! Very exciting, dudes fitness is crazy

Troyy
6 months ago

The third split in the article is wrong. Should be 27.87

25.00 27.37 27.87 28.35 28.21 28.01 28.12 27.40

Swordfish
6 months ago

Podia in Paris, bodement not shot in the dark:

50 FR McEvoy > Proud > Dressel
100 FR PAN > Chalmers >> ChlorineDaddy
200 FR Richards > Hwang > ChlorineDaddy
100 BR Qin > Peaty > Fink
200 BR Qin or Stubblety-Cook > Marchand
100 FLY Milak or Dressel > Grousset
200 FLY Milak >> Marchand e.l.
200 IM Wang > marchand > Scott/Dean
400 IM Marchand

MrBr
Reply to  Swordfish
6 months ago

I think marchand will get only one gold medal as well and three minor medals

Swordfish
Reply to  MrBr
6 months ago

Agreed on the portion before “and”. French student is a quasi-genius but not a superman yet.

Troyy
Reply to  Swordfish
6 months ago

I don’t think anyone’s beating ChlorineDaddy in the 200.

Swordfish
Reply to  Troyy
6 months ago

Have your say.
I’m kind of wishy-washy on the 200 ranking mainly b/c not sure about his status quo / form exhibited by his PB.

Khase Calisz
Reply to  Swordfish
6 months ago

Some open questions:
1) Can Cam Mac handle the pressure on the big stage?
2) Dressel has shown great back-end recent meets. How’s his front-end looking? How much has he and Nesty been working on it leading up to trials?
3) Can Pan and David handle the big waves swimming with big guys?
4) Where is ChlorineDaddy at mentally?
5) Can Marchand handle the 200fly/200br double?
6) Can Noe Ponti upset everyone in 100m fly?
7) We know Milak did weight training during the time he was away. But how will the absence affects his 200m fly endurance?
8) Is Ahmed still in the mix for 400m free? Has he resolve his… Read more »

Khase Calisz
Reply to  Khase Calisz
6 months ago

More questions:
– How will everyone handle the nerves and pressure being at the Olympics?
– Will people swim slower trying to save up to win the race instead of posting a fast time??

Swordfish
Reply to  Swordfish
6 months ago

Update:

200 FR Märtens > Richards/Hwang/ChlorineDaddy
400 FR Märtens a.l.

About Anya Pelshaw

Anya Pelshaw

Anya has been with SwimSwam since June 2021 as both a writer and social media coordinator. She was in attendance at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Women's NCAA Championships writing and doing social media for SwimSwam. She also attended 2023 US Summer Nationals as well as the 2024 European Championships …

Read More »