Tokyo Vision: Florian Wellbrock Seeks To Wrestle 1500 Free Crown From Gregorio Paltrinieri
Had the COVID-19 pandemic not shaken the world, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo would be unfolding right now, titles and podium finishes earned by the finest athletes from around the world. Instead, we are in a competition lull and hopeful that the Games will be held next summer, with COVID-19 neutralized.
As we reach the nine days over which the swimming competition of a delayed Olympiad would have taken place, Swimming World is taking a glimpse at what might have unfolded this summer, had the Olympics not been postponed. Following the official schedule, we offer our virtual fields of eight finalists for each event and take a brief look at how the racing might have panned out until a few strokes away from decision and a result that will not be known until July/August 2021.
League of Olympic Legends: Kieren Perkins Tops 1500 Free Podium with Hackett & Salnikov
Event: Men’s 1500m Freestyle
World Record: Sun Yang (2012) – 14:31.02
Historical Note #1: Grant Hackett and Kieren Perkins are the most successful athletes in history in this event, winning two golds and one silver medal each. Australian men have topped the podium eight times including at four consecutive Games from 1992-2004 when Perkins and then Hackett won two apiece.
Historical Note #2: As we all know, swimmers are superheroes. In 1928, Buster Crabbe won bronze in the 1500 freestyle at the Amsterdam Games, with gold in the 400 free four years later. Crabbe then switched his attention to Hollywood and in 1933 appeared in ‘Tarzan The Fearless,’ heralding a career on the silver scree that encompassed more than 100 films. He was then selected to play superhero Flash Gordon as well as Buck Rogers, the space explorer.
Virtual Vision
The Finalists (Listed Alphabetically)
- David Aubry – France
- Henrik Christiansen – Norway
- Damien Joly – France
- Jack McLoughlin – Australia
- Gregorio Paltrinieri – Italy
- Mykhailo Romanchuk – Ukraine
- Florian Wellbrock – Germany
- Jordan Wilimovsky – United States
The Race
Unsurprisingly, Florian Wellbrock qualified fastest for the final which promised to be a great tussle that could see a number of the field go sub-14:40.
The German was crowned world champion in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2019 as he added gold in the pool to his open water title. He had already impressed in the 800 free but it was clear that Gregorio Paltrinieri was on better form than at Worlds where he could not respond when Wellbrock and Mykhailo Romanchuk came past him in the final 10m.
Gregorio Paltrinieri – Photo Courtesy: Arena
Paltrinieri – who in 2016 became the first Italian to win Olympic gold in this event – turned first at the 100m mark although there was next to nothing to choose between the top six, Wellbrock and Henrik Christiansen sitting on his shoulder. The trio put some daylight between them and the rest of the field but Romanchuk then started making a move and joined the leading pack.
Paltrinieri still led at halfway but by the smallest of margins from Wellbrock and Romanchuk, the positions staying the same until the former pushed 200m from home.
Wellbrock turned into the last length still ahead with Paltrinieri and Romanchuk trading second and third with each stroke, with a push coming from Christiansen, Aubry and Wilimovsky.
Was victory for Wellbrock a foregone conclusion? Had Paltrinieri expended all his efforts already with his crown slipping away or would he find some extra reserves? Could those challengers bridge the gap or was it a bridge too far? Who would finish on the podium and who would miss out?