Breaking Barriers: Lukas Maertens’ Phenomenal Performance at the 2024 German Swimming Championships

Lukas Maertens made history at the 2024 German Swimming Championships, also known as the Olympic Trials, in Berlin. He posted a time of 3:40.33 in the men’s 400 freestyle, which was not only the fastest time in Germany for the season but also the world’s fastest time of the year. This achievement came after Australian swimmers Elijah Winnington and Sam Short had previously set the two fastest times in the world with a 3:41.41 and 3:41.64, respectively.

Maertens had been ranked #4 in the world this season with a time of 3:42.96 at the 2024 World Championships in Doha. However, his new personal best time surpassed his previous record of 3:41.60 set in April 2022. At the 2022 World Championships, he won a silver medal with a time of 3:42.85.

Looking ahead to the Paris Olympics, Maertens will aim to make a mark in the men’s 400 freestyle event, where he has consistently been on the podium at international competitions over the years. He won bronze medals at both editions of the World Cup and finished fourth at last year’s European Championships before winning gold at this year’s German Championships. Despite not making it to Tokyo’s final round during his debut appearance at an Olympic Games two years ago, Maertens has shown significant improvement over that period and is now ranked as one of Germany’s top swimmers to watch out for in Paris next year.

In addition to posting Germany’s fastest time this season, Maertens was just shy of breaking Paul Biedermann’s world record of 3:40.07 set in 2009.

Maertens is now ranked as one of Germany’s most successful swimmers all-time, joining Ian Thorpe and Sun Yang as one of only three men to have broken under four minutes for their respective national records.

The top five performers all-time include Paul Biedermann, Ian Thorpe, Sun Yang, Lukas Maertens and Ous Mellouli