Swimming European Championships: Liebmann Smashes World Record, Claims Two Titles

Johannes Liebmann, a 19-year-old German swimmer, has emerged as a new star after a sensational performance at the European Championships in Paris. He clinched two gold medals, shattered the world record in the 1500m freestyle, and set a new European record in the 800m freestyle. This remarkable achievement marks a fairytale debut on the elite European stage for the young athlete.

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He is a very down-to-earth boy, always in a good mood.

Liebmann's world record time of 14:26.79 in the 1500m freestyle was nearly four seconds faster than the previous best set by American Bobby Finke. He is only the second German swimmer, after Jörg Hoffmann in 1991, to hold the world's best mark in this longest pool distance. His teammate Lukas Märtens, a fellow world record holder, described experiencing "goosebumps" watching Liebmann's performance.

Despite being hailed as a "new superstar," Liebmann remains remarkably grounded. He plans to decompress with a family hiking vacation in the Allgäu mountains rather than embarking on a celebratory tour. Teammate Oliver Klemet, who won bronze in Liebmann's record-breaking race, described him as a "very down-to-earth boy, always in a good mood." Klemet added that Liebmann is "very diligent" and "asks a lot of questions" to the older swimmers, calling him "exemplary."

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He has earned it very well in training. He is very diligent, asks a lot of questions to us older ones.

Liebmann himself finds the "superstar" label hard to accept, stating, "We sometimes call each other superstars." He expressed immense respect for his fellow swimmers, including Klemet, and admitted he still can't quite believe he has surpassed them. While he excelled in the longer distances, Liebmann was eliminated in the preliminary heats of the 400m freestyle, an event he hopes to improve upon next year, attributing his performance to a lack of sleep after his previous triumphs.

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Even if the performances are now such that he is the new superstar – if one can say that – he is still really very shy.

Fellow swimmer Sven Schwarz praised Liebmann's "fantastic time" and noted the "wave of success" the young athlete is currently riding. Schwarz added that it is "extremely fun" to train and compete alongside Liebmann but also expressed a competitive desire to beat him in the future. Liebmann's success underscores a resurgence in German swimming, with multiple athletes achieving top-tier results.

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We sometimes call each other superstars.