To see all of our 2016 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here
2016 German MALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Marco Koch
Marco Koch started fast into the Olympic season with a 2016 world best time in the 200m breaststroke, set at the Euro Meet in Luxemburg in January, where he finished in 2:07,69. That time was faster than he swam at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan where he won the gold medal in 2:07,76.
Marco Koch was one of the medal candidates in the 200m breaststroke at the Rio Games – but finished seventh in his first Olympic final. Afterwards he was criticized in the German press with headlines like: “Failed this gold candidate becaus of his weight?” – obviously some media representatives had different ideas about a swimmer’s body. But Marco Koch won the gold medal in Kazan at the World Championships with the same body – and in a faster time.
Koch always emphazised that he felt well and fast during the Olympic final and he was disappointed with the result – because he had proved several times during the Olympic pre-season that he could swim faster. However he announced that he wants to swim until the next Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 – and he didn’t let himself be irritated about the Olympic outcome and started right after the Games into the short course season.
Marco Koch took home eight out of nine victories at the 2016 World Cup series in the 200 m breaststroke and set a new SC world record in 2:00,44 at the German Short Course Nationals.
At the 2016 Short Course World Championships he won both – the 100m breaststroke in 56,77 and the 200m breaststroke in 2:07,76.
Watch his SC world record at the German SC Nationals 2016, youtube, courtesy of Stephan Quandt)
Koch lost a lot of weight recently – about 29 pounds. He thought that after the Olympic Games he was a little bit careless concerning his eating habits – and with a look at his last results in 2016, his discipline has paid off.
Honorable mentions
(in no particular order):
Paul Biedermann is the actual world record holder in the 200m (1:42,00) and 400m freestyle (3:40,07) – he set both records in the super-suit era in Rome at the 2009 World Championships. After suffering some setbacks and injuries, he won the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan – and it was his ultimate goal to win an Olympic medal at the end of his career. Unfortunately he was unable to fullfill his dream – he finished 6th in 1:45,84. Also the German 4 x 200m freestyle relay could not medal – and after the final, Biedermann’s relay teammates were close to tears because they all wanted to to give their role model and esteemed teammate a medal for farewell.
Paul Biedermann retired after the Olympic Games – with him, German swimming lost one of the figureheads of the last decade, he was one of the most famous swimmers in the German public and swimming community because of his achievements.
This fan poster says “Thank you Paul”, German National Championships 2016, Biedemann’s last swim competition on German soil. Photo by Mirko Seifert.
Philip Heintz showed one of the best German perfomances at the 2016 Olympic Games with his 6th place finish in the 200m IM in a new German National Record of 1:57,48. Philip Heintz also finished 4th overall in the 2016 World Cup Series (SC) and won the silver medal at the SC World Championships in the 200 IM in 1:52,07. Like Katinka Hosszu, Heintz thinks that a packed competition schedule gives him safety and race experience for the big meets – during the World Cup, he swam the IM and butterfly events but also a 1500m freestyle or a 200m breaststroke race. Philip Heintz is always focused but relaxed like Marco Koch and both are important role models for the German youngsters and the German sport of swimming.
Germany’s Philip Heintz, Dubai Fina World Cup 2016, photo: Daniela Kapser
Let’s pick the “best” swimmer in a country which did not even medal at the Olympics. How does swim swam single out certain countries for these awards? You already picked Peaty for best European of the year. Why does Germany get a separate award? Why wouldn’t you then single out countries which actually matter at the international level, like Hungary, the Netherlands, UK, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, etc…?
Dani is from Germany and does a really great job covering German swimming for SwimSwam. It makes perfect sense that she’d do a Swammy for German swimming
Wow that biedermann stuff made me sad must suck being a world record holder in 3 events but never getting an Olympic medal
Biedermann is the only male swimmer world record holder in 200 or 400 free who didn’t win an Olympics medal in the past 40 years at least.
Nah dude. Giorgio Lamberti.
Little correction. Biedermann’s LCM world records 1.42.00 in the 200 free (at least for the next century) and 3.40.07 in the 400 free.
Thank you!
Next century? I’m not so sure. Yannick Agnel’s 1:43.14 showed it’s not impossible to approach that time. We just need another really big talent with a perfect swim to hit 1:41. I say 20-30 years.
Agnel’s race in London was magical, the greatest 200 free performance ever on the men’s side in my opinion. He destroyed the field. A huge natural talent at his absolute best. And he finished 1.14s off Biedermann’s crazy time…. Without the magical suits we need a mutant to break that record.
After watching what Ledecky did on 400/800, Peaty on 100 breast and Katinka on the IM… a mutant might appear on men free too..
We got one
Mens 200 free is a weak event and it seems to keep getting weaker as the olympic winning time has gotten slower over the past 3 olympics. The top 2 200 freestylers in the world are the 1500 world record holder and a butterfly specialist. And the only rising talents are Haas and Hagino. Who knows how long 1:42.00 will last, but I certainly think it will be one of the last supersuit records in the books (this one and the womens 2fly)
Yes. The women’s 200 fly world record is very funny too.