BERLIN, Germany, May 7. THIS summer’s European swimming championships will feature 30 Germans competing in front of a home crowd, hoping to return to the top of the medal rankings after being the second-best team in the last two outings.
On paper, the Germans look to have a strong team, with Steffen Deibler, Marco Koch and Paul Biedermann among the top names on the roster. Deibler posted the second-fastest 100 fly in the world at last week’s nationals to make him the top European swimmer in the meet so far in 2014. Koch is ranked second in the world in the 200 breast, and could have a battle with Hungary’s Daniel Gyurta and Great Britain’s Michael Jamieson, if Jamieson elects to swim at the meet after the Commonwealth Games.
Biedermann is on a quest to return to the medal podium after illness and injury kept him off the world championship team last year. Biedermann is the world record holder in the 200 and 400 freestyles in long course, but has not been in consistent form since setting those marks at the 2011 worlds. Biedermann showed promise at last week’s nationals, posting times that put him in the top 10 in the world in the 100, 200 and 400 freestyles.
Dorothea Brandt will be one of the busiest Germans at the meet, set to participate in four individual events. In addition to the 50 and 100 freestyles, she also will swim the 50 breast and 50 fly. Sprint freestyle are some of the toughest events in which to score a spot on the medal podium at the European championships, but Brandt could help Germany get there in the 400 free relay.
Fans of college swimming in the United States will one of the names on the roster. BJ Hornikel, who just wrapped up his senior year at Alabama, will swim the 100 free in Berlin and the 400 free relay.
Women’s roster:
Leonie Beck (1500 free)
Dorothea Brandt (50 free, 50 breast, 50 fly)
Annika Bruhn (200 free)
Jaana Ehmcke (400 free)
Johanna Friedrich (400 free)
Lisa Graf (200 back)
Vanessa Grimberg (200 breast)
Franziska Hentke (200 fly, 400 IM)
Sarah Kohler (400, 800 and 1500 free)
Jenny Mensing (50, 100, 200 back)
Sonnele Ozturk (200 back)
Caroline Ruhnau (50 breast)
Alexandra Wenk (50 and 100 fly)
Men’s roster
Robin Backhaus (200 fly, 200 free)
Paul Biedermann (100, 200, 400 free)
Markus Deibler (200 IM)
Steffen Deibler (50 and 100 fly, 100 free)
Christian Diener (50 and 200 back)
Jacob Heidtmann (400 IM)
Philip Heintz (200 IM)
Bjorn Hornikel (100 free)
Hendrik Feldwehr (50 and 100 breast)
Jan-Philip Glania (50, 100, 200 back)
Nicolas Graesser (50 back)
Marco Koch (100 and 200 breast)
Yannick Lebherz (400 IM, 200 free, 200 back)
Soren Meissner (800 and 1500 free)
Clemens Rapp (200 free, 400 free)
Carl Schwarz (50 back)
Florian Vogel (400 free)