Different continent, but same winner: Shortly after his three European Championship gold medals in open water swimming, Florian Wellbrock also won in the USA. The 28-year-old won the Pan Pacific Championships in Long Beach, California, ahead of the Mexican Paulo Strehlke Delgado, who trains in Munich, and the Italian Dario Verani. For Wellbrock, however, the experience was probably more important than success.

The most successful open water swimmer at the European Championships in Paris flew to Los Angeles on the day of his third title, last Saturday. “First of all, it’s about getting a bit of an Olympic feeling for 2028,” he said. Although the race did not take place on the 2028 Summer Games route, Wellbrock was able to train on it twice. Now he’s spending a few more days on vacation on the US West Coast.

By Editor