In unprecedented fashion, Florian Wellbrock remained untouched at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, winning all three individual events, becoming the first open water swimmer to do so at a World Aquatics Championships.
It wasn’t quite the barn-burner as the earlier women’s race, but Germany’s Florian Wellbrock dominated all three rounds of the 3km knockout sprint event, a new event running its maiden voyage at these World Aquatics Championships on Sentosa Island in Singapore.
The event, which started with 61 men racing 1500 meters, with the top ten in each heat advancing to race 1000 meters in a field of 20. The ten fastest from the 1000 raced in a winner-take-all 500 meter sprint, as Wellbrock showed off his speed and endurance, backing up his wins from the 10km and 5km earlier in the week. Wellbrock, age 27, looked like his old dominant self that won the Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020 four years ago.
“The strategy was to have a good position in the 1500m and 1km, and being in the top position in the 500m,” Wellbrock said. “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. You need a lot of energy for the marathon distance, 5km and everything.”
With the addition of this event, Wellbrock is the first man or woman to win three individual gold medals in open water swimming at the World Aquatics Championships. This is also his 13th career medal at the Worlds across pool and open water swimming.
“I have no idea how I did it,” Wellbrock said. “But I like knockout races, it’s so nice because you can feel that every lap is faster. David 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. 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.”
Hungary’s David Betlehem gave Wellbrock his biggest challenge, as the Hungarian got up to the German’s feet but could not match the speed on the final straightaway, finishing 1.7 seconds behind Wellbrock. Betlehem, age 21, won his fourth career Worlds medal, but his first in an individual event.
“I’m very happy with this,” Betlehem said. “I tried to put some pressure on Florian, but it was great. I’m happy to race with the Germans always. I was a bit happy when Oliver (Klemet) got out in the semi-finals. He’s very fast as well, I’m sorry Klemet.
“I mentioned I wanted to win a medal yesterday but I didn’t get it. I came here to win five medals for all my events and I missed the 10km and the 5km so I knew for this event, I needed to get into it and get the medal in the knockout. I did it previously in Ibiza in the European Championships and I got medals everywhere so I want to continue this streak. So I’m very happy with my medal.”
France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier, who has been competing at the World Aquatics Championships since Kazan 2015, won the bronze medal, matching his effort in the 5km yesterday. Olivier steered clear of the chase pack, sitting a bit behind Wellbrock and Betlehem but far enough in front of Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri and Australia’s Thomas Raymond to not get in a scrum at the end. Olivier was five seconds back from the gold medalist while Wellbrock and Raymond finished fourth and fifth, about 13 seconds back from the leaders.
“The final 500m was the hardest, as I know the top 10 swimmers swim under 15 minutes for the 1500m,” Olivier said. “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.”
This is Olivier’s eighth career medal at the World Aquatics Championships.
“It’s very important and means a lot to me now because I am a dad,” Olivier said. “My wife gave birth to our baby 10 days before the start of this event. It's very emotionally difficult to come here (to Singapore) as I can’t see my wife and the baby back in France. But my job is to swim and win medals, and I did my job today.”
Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky, who was the Olympic champion last year and one of the few to beat Wellbrock head to head in recent years, couldn’t quite get going in the final, finishing sixth overall and 20 seconds back.
Ivan Puskovitch of the United States finished seventh in his highest international finish, ahead of France’s Logan Fontaine, Czechia’s Martin Straka and Australia’s Nicholas Sloman.
Race waters were recorded at 30.4 degrees Celsius. The open water swimming portion of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships will finish Sunday morning with the mixed 4x1500m relay at 8:00 a.m. local time.