On Saturday and Sunday, January 6th and 7th, Germany’s swimming league „1. Bundesliga“ will have its final event in Essen for women and men. The German national team championships are an event for German swim clubs – each club must swim the Olympic program over three sessions (two on Saturday, one on Sunday) but there are no relays. Every swimmer is only allowed to swim in 5 different individual events – but the scoring system rewards those who stay entered and don’t scratch races.
Nearly all German top swimmers will swim in Essen at the first league like Franziska Hentke, Dorothea Brandt, Isabelle Härle, Caroline Ruhnau, Alexandra Wenk., Hendrik Feldwehr, Christian Diener, Yannick Lebherz, Florian Vogel. Paul Biedermann and Steffen Deibler will support their teams in the second league in Oldenburg – as the German publication „Mitteldeutsche Zeitung“ reported.
The World Record holder Biedermann enters the German nationals after having spent three weeks at a training camp in Thailand with the German team. While there he met his long time rival Yannick Agnel who has been training there with his club Mulhouse. Biedermann plans to participate next at local swim meet on the last weekend in February in his home town Halle/Saale and then he wants to face some international competitors at the ‚Golden Tour Camille Muffat‘ in Marseille from Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6.
Last year’s team champions on the women’s side, SG Essen, and on the men’s side, Potsdamer SC, will fight to defend their titles – but it could be an exciting battle with the SG Stadwerke München again like in 2015 for the Potsdamer guys and between the SV Würzburg O5 and SG Essen for the ladies. The SV Würzburg 05 suprised in 2015 with some fast Hungarian swimmers on their team – Zsuzsanna Jakabos was one of them but there is no information so far if they will appear again this year in Essen.
Marco Koch won’t swim at the German team nationals after a world-leading 200 breaststroke last week at the Euro Meet. Instead, he will continue a full participation in the French-hosted Golden Tour and is expected in Amiens this weekend in stead – Friday, February 5 through Sunday, February 7 – at the second stop. His team is “only” in the second division “2nd Bundesliga“.
Here is the German article about Biermann’s competition plans