Maertens Cranks Out 1:44.89 200 Free Heats Swim At German Championships

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2024 GERMAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)

• Thursday, April 25th – Sunday, April 28th
• Berlin, Germany
• LCM (50m)
• German Olympic Selection Policy
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entries
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Live Results

We entered day 3 of the 2024 German Swimming Championships, the competition that represents a last-chance opportunity for swimmers to add their names to the nation’s roster for this summer’s Olympic Games.

Wasting no time staking his claim on the men’s 200m free was 22-year-old Lukas Maertens.

In this morning’s heats, 22-year-old Maertens cranked out a massive time of 1:44.89 to land lane 4 for tonight’s final.

Opening in 50.85 and closing in 54.04, Maertens set himself apart from the field by over 4 seconds. The next-closest competitor was Sven Schwarz who scored the 2nd seed in 1:49.39.

Maertens’ effort this morning checks in as the 2nd best performance of his career, one which boasts a lifetime best of 1:44.79. That PB was registered as lead-off on the German men’s 4x200m free which placed 7th at the 2023 World Championships.

Maertens has already sealed his spot on the German Olympic roster in this 200m free event, courtesy of the 1:45.33 he produced for 4th place at this year’s World Championships in Doha.

His 1:44.89 ranks him 5th in the world this season.

We’ll see what Maertens can turn in during tonight’s final as a follow-up to the head-turning 3:40.33 400m free he registered on night one. That performance rendered Maertens the 4th-best performer in history,  sitting just .26 away from retired Paul Bidermann‘s seemingly untouchable world record of 3:40.07 that’s been on the books since 2009.

SwimSwam: Maertens Cranks Out 1:44.89 200 Free Heats Swim At German Championships