It seems to be the case that whenever Wellbrock is on the start line, he ends up on the podium. The 28-year-old kept that trend well and truly alive in Somabay, Egypt, touching home first in the Men’s 10km in a time of 1:50:59.5.

Despite the ever-changing conditions that open water gifts to us, this was a quick race by any standard, and saw Hungary’s David Betlehem and Italy’s Domenico Acarenza rounding out the podium.

The German commanded the race from the beginning, going out hard to take the sprint lap win and earn himself $1,000 for his efforts. Speaking after the race, Wellbrock said this was very much part of his tactic.

“I had no idea what was possible today, so my coach told me to just finish the first round first, and take the sprint money. And then I just tried to follow Kristof Razovsky and Sacha Velly, because those are pretty strong guys.”

Having just finished a high altitude training camp, Wellbrock entered this competition not knowing exactly what to expect. But the 2025 winner of this event made sure to get himself on the podium, and said of his gold:

“I’m so happy with my result today because it's my third time here in Egypt and my third gold. It's always pretty hard to make it on the podium, and especially on the top of the podium, so I'm totally happy.”

The weather kept at bay for the men’s race, with low winds delivering a flat course - something which Wellbrock favours. “It's a part of our sport to deal with different conditions, and I like the sun, warm water, and flat water. It was perfect conditions for me today.”

Having maintained a top three position for the majority of the race, with much of that as leader, Wellbrock found another gear in the final lap. “I think I had the most energy for the last lap and just used my legs to sprint away - it worked really well.

“​​I always want to use my speed, and because I don't like to go into the finish in a crowd; it's always a problem for me if I'm stuck in the pack. I made the decision [to sprint] right in the moment because it's always important to listen to your body.”

Betlehem Manifests Podium Finish

Speaking to World Aquatics the day before the event, Betlehem stated “I want to win a medal”, and he did exactly that.

Having described the race as ‘stronger than a World Championships or Olympics’, Betlehem said he felt ‘amazing’ after adding a 12th World Cup medal to his haul.

“I feel amazing. Yesterday, I was a bit stressed about it. I think it was stronger than a World Championship or an Olympics, because everybody was here.

“It was very tough in the last lap and I'm very happy with my medal. I'm happy that I was able to close on Flo, he's hard to beat.

“I knew when we were going on the final straight that I needed to see Flo because in the last straight, he's going to push with his leg and he's going to be gone. So, I was able to get next to him and do what I could in the last 500 meters.

“I was able to come back and Domenico was next to me, so I'm very happy for him and for my medal as well.”

Despite having experienced some stomach issues in the last few days, Betlehem can take great confidence from his race in Somabay.

“I just want to compete as much as I can and be on the podium as much as I can. I want to compete when I'm ill, when I'm in bad shape, when I'm in good shape, so when a big competition comes, I know what to do.”

Betlehem can now turn his attention to tomorrow’s relay event where he will be anchoring Team Hungary.

Acerenza’s ‘Real Comeback’ Sees Him Win Bronze

Italy’s Domenico Acarenza is no stranger to this course having won gold in this event in 2024. But starting a family and a shoulder injury have seen him taking a significant break from the sport; one that came to a definitive end today.

Speaking after the race, Acarenza dedicated his win to his team and his daughter. “This is my real comeback, so I'm very, very happy. This is for all my team. I just want to say thank you to them all. A lot of things have happened in the last year, and one of the most important is my child, my daughter Silvia. This is also for her.

“For this year, I want to do the whole World Cup, and then I won't try to qualify for European Championships.”