Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

Three races and three victories. In clearly dominant fashion.

Florian Wellbrock (27, Germany, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @flo.swim) was just too much for the field in the 10 km on the first day and the 5 km on the second day at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships on Sentosa Island in Singapore. He completed a clean sweep by winning the final 500-meter sprint in this evening’s 3 km Knockout Sprints. He was humble in victory, “It wasn’t my goal to come here for three golds, but it’s so nice to be on top of the podium three times in a row.”

In the opening heat, he finished first in 17:00.40 in the 1500m swim that started at 7:05 pm in the 30.4°C (86°F) water.

In the 1000-meter semifinal at started at 7:30 pm, Wellbrock was also the fastest, finishing in 11:27.20.

As the evening cooled from the midday highs, the water was still warm (30°C/86°F) while Wellbrock remained hot.

Over the final 500 meters, Wellbrock remained dominant, beating long-time rivals including Olympic bronze medalist David Betlehem (21, Hungary, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @betlehemdavid), another Olympic bronze medalist Marc-Antoine Olivier (29, France, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here), and Olympic gold medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri (30, Italy, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here,  @greg_palt).

Wellbrock, with an incredible efficient stroke, just knows how to win – and prepared very well in anticipation. “The strategy was to have a good position in the 1500m and 1 km, and being in the top position in the 500m. I think the key for the whole week is doing a lot of volume for the whole year, so that you are in good preparation for this competition here.

I like knockout races, it’s so nice because you can feel that every lap is faster. David [Betlehem] and me, our finish was incredible. He told me before the start, let’s go for gold and silver, and we did it. To be a good open water swimmer, you need the speed from the pool. We can use this speed for the final 500m, and that’s so nice. It’s so amazing.”

As a result, Wellbrock has won five out of five races against the fastest and best open water swimmers in the world: 10 km + 5 km + 1.5 km first round + 1.0 km semifinal + 500m final round of the 3 km Knockout Sprints.

Even for an Olympic [bronze] medalist like Betlehem, things do not always work out as planned. “I wanted to win a medal yesterday [in the 5 km], but I didn’t get it. I came here to win five medals for all my events and I missed the 10 km and the 5 km so I knew for this [3 km Knockout Sprints] event, I needed to get into it and get the medal in the knockout. So I’m very happy with my medal.”

The sport of marathon swimming has come a long way since its introduction at the 2001 Fukuoka World Championships, especially in terms of flat-out swimming speed. Bronze medalist Olivier explains how, “The final 500m was the hardest, as I know the top 10 swimmers swim under 15 minutes for the 1500m,. I know I don’t have the same speed as them. I tried and it was quite hard to follow and catch David (Betlehem) or Florian (Wellbrock), but it was a good race so I’m very happy.”

Men’s Final Round – 3 km Knockout Sprints Results

1. Florian Wellbrock, 27, Germany 5:46.00
2. David Betlehem, 21, Hungary 5:47.70
3. Marc-Antoine Olivier, 29, France 5:51.10
4. Gregorio Paltrinieri, 30, Italy 5:58.90
5. Thomas Edward Raymond, 22, Australia 5:59.00
6. Kristóf Rasovszky, 28, Hungary 6:06.00
7. Logan Fountaine, 26, France and Ivan Puskovitch, 24, USA, both in 6:07.20
8. —
9. Martin Straka, 24, Czech Republic 6:08.60
10. Nicholas Sloman, 27, Australia 6:10.30

Eric Brown of Canada talked about his participation in the races on Sentosa Island. He finished 13th in the 10 km, his top finish in world competition. “I was really happy with that [result]. I think I swam it really smart, made my moves at the right time and that’s my best placement at worlds. I made sure I was with the front pack as much as possible and did not drop at all. I’m really happy to be back. I didn’t quite make the Olympics last year so to be back here I’m super proud. To wear the Maple Leaf is always an honor. [Canada is] a small team, but super tight and proud to represent Canada. I liked the layout of the 3 km, I think it was a fun addition to worlds. Hopefully I’ll get more opportunities to race that because it was a lot of fun.”

3 km Knockout Sprints Regulations

• For the First Round, the entry list is published in advance of the Team Leaders Meeting.
• The number of heats to be swum in the First Round and the Second Round is determined after all the entries have been received and announced at the Team Leaders Meeting.
• For the Second Round, there is a maximum of 2 heats.
• In the First Round, each swimmer swim 1.5 km. The swimmers who advance to the Second Round swim 1 km. The swimmers who advance to Final Round swim 500 meters.
• The top 10 finishers from each heat in the First Round advance to the Second Round – or 2 heats based on the decisions made at the Team Leaders Meeting.
• If there is 1 heat in the Second Round, the top 10 swimmers from the Second Round advance to the Final Round.
• If there are 2 heats in the Second Round, the top 10 finishers from each heat will advance to the Final Round.
• If a swimmer receives a 1st infringement during the First Rounds or the Second Round, then this penalty remains in place as the swimmer advances forward in any Rounds.
• If the swimmer is disqualified or withdraws from the Second Round or the Final Round, the position that the swimmer would have finished is awarded to the next competitor and all the lower placing swimmers are advanced one place in the Second Round semifinal or the Final Round.
• The podium finishers are the top 3 swimmers in the Final Round.

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