Germany has a new swimming star: Lukas Märtens sensationally wins at the Olympics, but he had to vomit afterwards.
22-year-old Lukas Märtens won the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympic Games on Saturday. Afterwards, the Magdeburg native fought back tears at the awards ceremony in the La Défense Arena and as the German national anthem was played. The bitter truth: Märtens unfortunately had no time at all to celebrate his sensational triumph afterwards, as further swimming competitions are just around the corner.
After the award ceremony, he therefore did not make a detour to the German House, where medal winners often have their achievements celebrated by their fellow countrymen in the evening. But Märtens went straight home and to bed on Saturday. The big party will have to wait for him: “It’s obviously really hard, but I’ve been practicing it for the last few years,” said Märtens after his triumph. So now he has to “use every minute to regenerate. Because I think I still have a chance or two of winning a medal.” He had exhausted himself so much in the fight for gold that he had to throw up backstage after the race. Märtens will continue on Sunday morning with the preliminary heats of the 200 meter freestyle.
Olympics 2024
These celebrities attended the opening ceremony
For Lukas Märtens, the role of favourite is still unfamiliar
By the way: Märtens wasn’t aiming for the world record during his gold race. “I don’t give a damn whether it’s broken or not. I’m at the top and I think I deserve it.” The time was only in the back of his mind, but the goal was the medal. It wasn’t always easy for him to deal with being the favorite.
After the Olympics, Märtens will have to go under the knife. He suffers from chronic sinusitis, which is why he had to stop training for three months in autumn 2023. “It will take six to seven weeks until everything has healed,” says Märtens about the planned procedure. An operation date will be made after returning from Paris.
Source: Stern

I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.