Lucky Break Helps Kaii Winkler Become German Olympian

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Lucky Break Helps Kaii Winkler Become German Olympian

From the viewpoint of the deck at the Paris Olympics, Kaii Winkler saw a lost summer of 2023 as a lucky break.

Winkler broke his arm in the spring of 2023, an injury that kept him out of Nationals and, crucially, prevented him from qualifying to represent the United States at either the World Championships or World Junior Championships. Difficult as six weeks of recuperation was, it opened a door this spring, with the Olympics on the line.

Because Winkler hasn’t represented the U.S., he was eligible to immediately declare his allegiance to Germany, meaning the Olympic A cut in the men’s 100 butterfly that finished eighth at U.S. Olympic Trials in June could be recognized by Germany and get him to Paris six weeks later.

“That was very, very bad experience for me,” Winkler said of his diminished summer of 2023. “But it did really open my eyes to my priorities, in swimming and taking care of my body. But that did shape this path for Germany a little bit smoother because of my eligibility.”

Winkler was tabbed as one of the futures of American swimming. The Florida native dominated competition in the state, setting a national age-group record in the 15-16-year-old 100-yard freestyle (42.52) and national high school records in the 100 free (42.12) and 200 free. The NC State signee had a chance to nick a spot on what would become a greatly inauspicious U.S. men’s team, but he finished 46th at Olympic Trials in the 200 free, 25th in the 100 free, 38th in the 50 and eighth in the 100 fly. That time of 51.51 was a best time, just three tenths off the German record of 51.19 set by Steffen Diebler in 2013.

Winkler entered Trials knowing that a second pathway was open to him. His dad’s family hails from Germany, with his grandfather having been involved in swimming in the country. Had he already represented the U.S. internationally, though, he would’ve faced a three-year waiting period for such a nationality switch.

So when Trials in Indianapolis didn’t work out in June, Winkler went the German route.

“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to represent Germany as well,” Winkler said. “It does relieve a little bit of stress off your shoulders, especially at U.S. trials with all those people there, expectations and obviously wanting to swim to get into the top two.”

Winkler has competed in German nationals, at the junior and senior levels, in the past. After Olympic trials, he relocated to Magdeburg to train with a bulk of the German squad. He said his German is coming along, and hearing the national anthem play for Lukas Martens’ win in the 400 free was a notable practice session for several reasons for the German delegation.

Winkler was slower in Paris, going 52.64. That placed him 28th in the 100 fly. He was the only German man in the event, though Luca Ambruster swam in both prelims and finals for the German men’s medley relay that finished seventh.

The 18-year-old has plenty of time to take Paris as merely an experience, with the Los Angeles Games in 2028 set to coincide with the end of his college career.

“It’s amazing, a great experience,” he said. “Unfortunately couldn’t go my best time or faster, so a little bummer. But honestly, good experience, good racing, I had fun.”

That timing has been weird, though. Winkler was constantly on the go before Paris, from Florida to Indy to Germany to Paris. Then came days of waiting for the 100 fly prelims, on the meet’s seventh day. Now, he’ll quickly head home and be in Raleigh in two weeks to start classes.

“This obviously was a little bit unexpected for me,” Winkler said. “Even the possibility to be here right now is amazing. Things just happened how they happened, and I’m grateful for how they happened.”

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