Vice world champion Isabel Gose wins bronze in the 1500 m freestyle – the second Olympic medal for the German swimming team.
After her furious final sprint to the bronze medal, Isabel Gose was completely exhausted and clung to the rope. The 22-year-old needed a few moments to catch her breath and realize: her Olympic dream had become reality.
In the wake of record world champion Katie Ledecky, the Magdeburg native swam the biggest race of her life to date with a German record – and after European Championship gold in 2022 and three medals at the World Championships in February, she also made it onto the podium on the biggest stage.
After 15:41.16 minutes, the second medal winner of the German swimming team finished eleven seconds after the US superstar, but her joy was at least as great: Gose beamed from ear to ear and raised her arms.
“I was so excited. Now so much pressure is off, I am so proud of what we have achieved,” said Gose on “ARD” and quickly said goodbye with the words: “Now I have to go because I am afraid of missing the award ceremony. I have to cry now.”
In the final meters she was unable to catch up with the French local hero Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, who was enthusiastically cheered on by the 17,000 spectators. But her long-time Italian rival Simona Quadarella left her behind after a long neck-and-neck race. Her Magdeburg training colleague Leonie Märtens took eighth place.
Gose shows strong final spurt
For her biggest dream, Gose had relied on Lukas Märtens’ strategy. The first German Olympic swimming champion in the pool since 1988 had won the first medal for Team D in the very first final in Paris. “Lukas said it very well: everything is possible, nothing is necessary,” explained the shooting star’s former girlfriend: “That’s really how it is.” She had the medal “in the back of her mind,” but wanted to “take a little of the pressure off herself.”
The plan worked: Gose followed Quadarella, who was swimming next to her, and was neck and neck with her. Kirpichnikova was in second place ahead of the duo and kept her lead. In the final sprint, Gose prevailed against Quadarella.
Gose had already demonstrated her strong form by coming fifth in the 400 m with a German record – even if this performance faded into the background a few minutes after Märtens’ gold coup. She still has another chance in Paris: in the 800 m on Friday and Saturday, she is fourth in the world best list and is part of the extended circle of medal contenders.
For a long time, the Berlin-born swimmer and Märtens formed a German swimming dream couple – with the highlight at the 2022 European Championships in Rome, when both won gold in the 400 m freestyle within a few minutes. Last year, the two separated, but continue to train together with national coach Bernd Berkhahn in Magdeburg. The coach thinks highly of Gose: “She is now very self-confident and courageous. In terms of fitness, she is one of the strongest here.”
Source: www.sport.de
