Gose glitters at German Championships; Popovici powers on in Romanian trials

Germany’s leading lights shone brightly at the national championships and trials in Berlin – none more so than Paris 2024 bronze medallist Isabel Gose, who finished with four golds.

Meanwhile Olympic and double world champion David Popovici was dazzling at the Romanian Championships, where he booked his place for this summer’s European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 with victories in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle.

Gose, who won 1500m world short course gold in 2024, concluded day four with victory in the 800m freestyle to complete a clean sweep of titles from 200m freestyle upwards.

The effort began in the 400m freestyle – at which she won European gold in 2022 – as she clocked 4:02.92 ahead of Maya Werner on 4:06.18.

Day two saw her win the 1500m freestyle in 15:59.42 and on day three she took the 200m honours in 1:57.69.

Tonight she completed her golden collection with an 800m freestyle victory in 8:24.18.

Germany’s dominance in men’s distance events was also underlined in Berlin.

Olympic and world champion 400m freestyle champion Lukas Martens retained his title in 3:41.76 – the second fastest time in world this year behind the 3:41.55 clocked by 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo at last month’s China Open.

This despite the fact that Martens, who last year became the only swimmer to better 3:40 for the 400m freestyle with his world record of 3:39.96, had arrived at the trials feeling less than 100 per cent.

The following day he took second place in the 800m freestyle in 7:41.31 behind the 7:41.14 of Sven Schwarz, whose European record was bettered earlier this month by 19-year-old compatriot Johannes Liebmann.

Schwarz produced a final flourish in the 1500m freestyle tonight, winning in 14;42.32.

Women’s world 100m breaststroke champion Anna Elendt took gold at that distance in 1:06.91 ahead of Lena Ludwig on 1:08.08.

The Texas-based athlete earned a second Paris 2026 qualification the following day with victory in the 50m breaststroke in 30.54 and rounded off by winning the 200m breaststroke in 2:24.77.

Angelina Kohler also left Berlin with three golds after winning the 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle and, tonight, the 50m butterfly in 25.61.

Melvin Imoudu’s 50m breaststroke win in an national record of 26.57 established him second in this year’s European rankings between the 26.51 clocked by Simone Cerasuolo at Italian national championships and the 26.64 set at the Aquatics GB Championships by Adam Peaty, who set the world record of 25.95 in 2017.

Popovici, 21, began at the Romanian trials by clocking 22.02 in the 50m freestyle before adding victory in the 200m freestyle – the event he won at the Paris 2024 Games – in 1:45.89.

He added a third title with a 100m freestyle time of 47.52, with Patrick Dinu clocking a personal best of 48.01 behind him.

At the recent Swiss Championships in Uster Noe Ponti won both the 50m and 200m butterfly, winning the latter event in 1:56.15, while Roman Mityukov completed a backstroke sweep.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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