Fresh from a dominant showing at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, where he claimed four open water world titles, Germany’s Florian Wellbrock has been named the 2025 European Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year, recognising a season in which he set the standard at the sport’s highest level.
The 28-year-old claimed 48.67 per cent of the total vote. He finished well clear of a field featuring Olympic champions and world medallists. The award recognises a remarkable season in which Wellbrock was among the most dominant athletes across all aquatic sports.
Wellbrock’s year was highlighted by a flawless performance at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. There, he emerged as one of the most successful athletes of the entire competition. As the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020, he captured gold in all three men’s individual open water events and added a fourth world title as part of Germany’s victorious relay team.
He claimed victories in the newly introduced 3km knockout sprint and the traditional 5km and 10km events. With these wins, he completed a clean sweep of available world titles. He capped the season by winning a quartet of gold medals, showcasing both his versatility and consistency at the highest level.
Wellbrock’s dominance at the world championships decided the voting, even though he chose not to compete at the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships in Stari Grad. His performances in Singapore clearly established his standing in men’s open water swimming in 2025.
Second place in the voting went to Hungary’s David Betlehem, who received 21.44 per cent of the vote following a breakthrough year on both the world and European stage. At the World Aquatics Championships, Betlehem secured silver in the 3km knockout sprint and bronze in the men’s team event. He added further success at the European Championships with silver in the 5km and bronze in the 3km knockout sprint.
Betlehem also played a central role in helping Hungary win mixed team gold at the European Championships and regularly appeared on podiums throughout the season in both the World Aquatics and European Aquatics Open Water Cup circuits.
Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri finished third with 16.23 per cent of the vote. One of the most enduring and accomplished figures in open water swimming, Paltrinieri once again demonstrated his consistency. He claimed world silver medals in the 5km, 10km, and team event at Singapore 2025. He also secured European gold in the 5km, bringing his total open water medal count across world and European championships to 18.
Fourth place went to Paris 2024 Olympic champion Kristóf Rasovszky of Hungary, who earned 10.50 per cent of the vote after another medal-laden campaign. Rasovszky claimed world bronze in the mixed team relay event. He was also the most successful athlete at the European Championships, winning gold in the 3km knockout sprint, the 10km, and the mixed team event, alongside bronze in the 5km.
Completing the shortlist was France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier, who received 3.17 per cent of the vote. Olivier delivered a consistent all-around season, highlighted by two bronze medals at the World Aquatics Championships, in addition to further podium finishes at the European Championships and across the open water cup series.