Freestyle expert Lukas Märtens is also trying out the backstroke at the World Championships in Doha. He expressed a clear opinion about this experiment after his semi-final exit.
Lukas Märtens missed the 200 meter backstroke final at the World Swimming Championships in Qatar. The 22-year-old clocked in after 1:58.24 minutes and thus took 13th place in the semi-finals on his side route.
With a view to the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, Märtens will probably concentrate completely on freestyle racing again. “I can’t do everything,” he said after his back experiment. “I’m the world’s top crawler – on all routes, actually. I can’t say, now I’m up for a backstroke, now I can do a little something here. That doesn’t work so easily.”
At this World Cup, Märtens won the bronze medal in the 400 meter freestyle. He came fourth in the 200 meters. He is also strong on the even longer routes.
In the evening session without German finalists, the Chinese Pan Zhanle was crowned world champion in the 100 meter freestyle in 47.53 seconds. The 19-year-old had already caused a stir on the first day of the title fights in the Aspire Dome: As the starting swimmer in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, he set a world record in 46.80 seconds.
Claire Curzan from the USA also had reason to be happy again. The 19-year-old celebrated her third World Championship gold in the 50 meter backstroke in Doha. The Canadian Finlay Knox won the 200 meter individual medley. Great Britain’s Laura Stephens secured gold in the women’s 200 meter butterfly.
Schedule of the Swimming World Cup News about the Swimming World Cup News about the German Swimming Association
Source: Stern
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