Florian Wellbrock wins European Championship gold in Seine 10km open water swim

Florian Wellbrock celebrates victory in the Seine. Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS

Florian Wellbrock had only negative sporting memories of Paris until this day. Now, the German swimmer has won the European Championship title in the 10-kilometer open water event. Bronze also went to Germany.

After nearly eight kilometers of leading the race, Florian Wellbrock's arms began to tire. Up to that point, the swimmer from Magdeburg had commanded the field in the European Championship 10-kilometer race in Paris with long, powerful strokes, gliding through the water with apparent ease. This was the same city and the same river that hosted the 2024 Olympic Games — the event where Wellbrock, after his Olympic victory in Tokyo 2021, left as a defeated athlete in both the pool and open water, while Klemet celebrated the greatest success of his career with silver in the 10-kilometer race.

On the final kilometer of this European Championship race, a trio had formed at the front: Hungary's David Betlehem, followed by Klemet and Wellbrock. A three-way battle, neck and neck. Then Wellbrock and Betlehem pulled slightly ahead. The German took the lead, pushed forward, and was the first to enter the finish channel, celebrating a victory that carries more weight than his long list of achievements might suggest. Klemet finished third, completing a perfect start for the German open water swimmers.

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For the 28-year-old Wellbrock, this victory represents a reconciliation with the city of Paris and a major success — especially after his Olympic disappointment here, where he was eliminated in the preliminary heats twice in the pool and finished eighth in open water. Notably, he swam this race confidently from the front. This European Championship gold comes after a difficult open water season marked by illness and setbacks, which had not gone as hoped. For Klemet, bronze marks a successful start to a grueling program at these championships — no athlete will have as many starts as the 24-year-old, who will also compete in the pool.

The Race: Wellbrock Strong, Concerns Over Klemet

From the start at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Wellbrock quickly moved to the front and led the race. He would have preferred to swim in the exact section of the Seine where athletes competed in the Olympic race, but the European Championship course is slightly different — though still in the heart of the city, with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.

Florian Wellbrock glances forward for orientation. Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS

While Wellbrock appeared strong from the start, things were difficult for Klemet for a long time. The Frankfurt native, who trains with Wellbrock in Magdeburg under Bernd Berkhahn, clearly struggled. The 24-year-old could not hold the lead group before the halfway point, fell back, and had to fight. Meanwhile, Wellbrock continued swimming at the front after 7.5 kilometers — literally pulling the competition along behind him. (What is called a slipstream on a bike is known as a "water shadow" in swimming; those who swim at another's feet save energy.)

Klemet, however, recovered and worked his way forward stroke by stroke. When Wellbrock showed signs of fatigue in the seventh of eight laps, anything seemed possible between success and failure. But Betlehem could not break away from the two. In the end, Wellbrock emerged from the Seine as the triumphant winner.

Klara Bleyer Wins Second Medal in Paris

The medals won by Wellbrock and Klemet were not the first for the German team on this European Championship day. As Wellbrock and Klemet were making their first strokes in the Seine, synchronized swimmer Klara Bleyer climbed out of the pool a few kilometers away. After winning silver the previous day in the solo free routine, the swimmer from Bochum earned bronze in the technical routine final.

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Bleyer, who entered the competition with start number one and had to wait a long time for the final result, scored 258.0400 points. She was beaten by new European champion Iris Tio Casas of Spain and Belarusian Vasilina Chandoshka, competing as a neutral athlete. In the solo event, this is her sixth European Championship medal, following two silvers in 2024 and gold and bronze in 2025. However, in previous years, strong athletes from Russia and Belarus were not competing.