World Cup in Singapore: Köhler cries: Swimming team experiences disappointing World Cup day

Angelina Köhler hurried through the interview zone with shepherded eyes. She was staring at the look. The 24-year-old brought her sixth place at the swimming World Cup over 100 meters of butterfly. Köhler, who had started as defending champion, had to be comforted.

At first she wanted or couldn’t say anything. The second day of the pelvic competitions at the swimming World Cup was a disappointing day for the German team.

Trainer Lasse Frank: “The tears roll”

Shortly before Köhler, breast swimmer Lucas Matzerath had clearly missed noble metal as a second medal hope. The 25-year-old was also sixth over 100 meters of chest. He was also disappointed, but not as dissolved in tears as Köhler.

“Immediately after the race, the tears roll. You are simply disappointed with animal – from yourself, from the race itself and the chance that was there today. The medals were not far away,” said Köhler coach Lasse Frank.

His best swimmer hadn’t started the race as a top favorite. Her recently already shown performance had encouraged. This year, only the overwhelming world record player Gretchen Walsh (USA), who won gold, was faster than Köhler before the World Cup.

After hate messages: Köhler had worried before the World Cup

Before the trip to Singapore, the Berliner had also reported mental stress. Among other things, she had given the concern to be booed by Chinese fans.

Köhler told about hate messages and sentenced Nazi pictures. “I was tackled by Chinese bots in English and German. I was insulted as a Nazi and received photos with Hitler greetings,” she said in the interview of the “Sport Bild”. “She suffered quite a bit because she is a very emotional person,” said Frank.

At the Olympic Games, Köhler narrowly missed a medal as fourth. At that time, bronze won the Chinese Zhang Yufei, which had previously been vertebrae in connection with doping suspicions. Köhler then spoke of a “bitter aftertaste”, but also said that the presumption of innocence was following.

“Everything was fine. The spectators cheered. Fortunately, my fears did not occur,” she reported after the semi -finals. In this, Köhler qualified as a fifth in 56.75 seconds for the final run. In the final she was 18 hundredths of a second faster. Too bronze, however, there were another 24 hundredths of a second.

World Champion Märtens is looking forward to the stands

The exciting final session could not miss Lukas Märtens. The 23-year-old used the day after gold over 400 meters freestyle. He is now the Olympic champion, world recordler and world champion on his parade route. However, the goals do not run out of him.

“Nah, quite the opposite. I am only 23. That’s why I still have a few years before me. La is of course the big goal,” said Märtens, with a view to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 in a video spread by the German Swimming Association.

Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend and Magdeburg teammate Isabel Gose experienced a disappointing day like Köhler and Matzerath. The 23-year-old surprisingly left over 1500 meters freestyle in the lead.

“It has arrived a bit, of which I was so afraid of yesterday,” said Gose after her race when she was not yet clear. At the past World Cup she had won bronze on the route. “I think that your own expectation pressure is higher than you think,” she says.

Märtens in action again on Tuesday

Luca Nik Armbruster provided a bright spot. For the 23-year-old, the finals over 50 meters of butterfly was a success. There he set a German record in 22.84 seconds and became a shared sixth.

On Tuesday, the view is at Märtens, which is required in the lead over 800 meters freestyle. Breast swimmer Anna has also has over 100 meters of podium chances.