“Out the back, it hurt like hell.” Florian Wellbrock is the first German European champion over 1500 metres for 23 years and the European Championships in Glasgow for the third Gold-medal in the German Team.
Before the award ceremony, Florian got Wellbrock for the Gold-Coup its probably the most beautiful reward. Girlfriend Sarah Köhler, who had failed the previous day to your own medal to claim, to be delivered to the new indoor European champion over 1500 Meter freestyle, and hugged him.
“I’m very proud of him. I was in tears in the stands when he hit,” said Köhler. Wellbrock took his Triumph in a German record time (14:36,15 minutes) to the outside left – maybe the pain was for the whole of great joy still too big. “Out the back it hurt like hell, as it went just over the head, over the arms,” said the 20-Year-old.
“A galactic thing”
Only three swimmers were on this route, ever faster as the Wellbrock, a German European champion over 1500 metres had last seen 23 years ago, when Jörg Hoffmann won. Wellbrock, held at the end of the Ukrainians Michailo Romanchuk for 0.73 seconds at a distance, the Italian Olympic champion, Gregorio Paltrinieri was early struck. “Phenomenal! After 200 meters I had goose bumps and knew that this is a galactic thing”, said national coach Henning Lambertz.
Champion of Europe with 20 years of: Florian Wellbrock
It is the third precious was the metal for the German swimmers at the European Championships. Prior to Wellbrock, the starts in the pool about 800 meters and in the open water of the season, had already Henning Mühlleitner with a Bronze in the 400-Meter freestyle and the victorious Mixed free style relay 4×200-Meter medals for the German swimming Association (DSV).
Down
His girlfriend Köhler, the day before, about 800 m is not moved to free style as a Fourth disappointed, Wellbrock emotionally down. “Florian is relatively unaffected,” said home coach Bernd Berkhahn, even before the final: “Such things we have practiced, that the failure of one has no negative influence on the performance of the other. That was important to me, as the relationship started.”
Wellbrock said that he “did, of course, sorry”, that Köhler had a bad EM-Start, “but for their Form, I can’t.” Your mood has brightened wellbrock with the victory.
sw/sam (dpa, sid)