Overwhelmed by her emotions, Angelina Köhler had to interrupt her interview premiere as swimming world champion. The first German gold winner in the pool since Britta Steffen in 2009 covered her face with her hands and let her tears of joy flow. The audience in the Aspire Dome applauded enthusiastically.
“I’m shaking all over my body. This victory means an incredible amount to me because I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a child,” said Köhler. The 23-year-old waved to her parents in the stands and celebrated her victory in the 100 meter butterfly with her arms raised.
“They came especially from Germany,” said Köhler. “That means an incredible amount to me. They sacrificed so much for me and made everything possible for me as a child and in my youth. That’s simply unbelievable.” At the award ceremony, Köhler tried to sing the German national anthem. More tears of joy prevented that.
“This is simply every athlete’s dream”
“This is the moment for which you do all this. This is the moment for which you live. This is the moment for which you torture yourself in the water for years: to then stand up there, the German flag is hoisted and the national anthem is coming,” said Köhler. “It’s just every athlete’s dream.”
In what was by far her greatest career success in 56.28 seconds, Berliner Claire Curzan from the USA relegated her to second place. Sweden’s Louise Hansson took bronze. With her fantastic race, Köhler secured her third medal for the German Swimming Association on the second day of competitions in the World Championship pool. On Sunday there was bronze for Isabel Gose and Lukas Märtens.
The day before her big triumph, Köhler had already hinted at her exceptional form. In both the preliminary and semi-finals she improved the German record and was faster than all her competitors. “I love this pool here, I’m perfectly prepared,” she said afterwards.
Special ritual before the races
Even before her big finale, she maintained her ritual and got in the mood with her favorite artist on her ears and a lot of physical effort. “Of course it was Taylor Swift. My favorite song is Cruel Summer,” she said of her choice of music while waiting for the launch. “That’s always my last song. I always really go crazy with it. That always takes away a little bit of the excitement of dancing and singing again.”
Like pop star Swift, who celebrated with her boyfriend, football player Travis Kelce, his victory in the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, Köhler was now also able to look forward to a very special sporting success.
At the last World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, she finished fifth. The four swimmers who were ahead of her at the time were not there this time. The highlight of the season is the Olympics. In order to better prepare, some stars – not just on Köhler’s route – are foregoing participation in the World Cup, which is taking place for the first time in the same year as the Summer Games. It is therefore difficult to estimate what Köhler’s success means with regard to the Rings spectacle in Paris. One thing is certain: the moments in Doha will remain unforgettable for her.
Wellbrock in the first pool use
German swimmers once again have a chance of winning a medal this Tuesday. Freestyle specialist Gose qualified for the final run over 1500 meters as the second fastest in the heats. Like his teammate Rafael Miroslaw, Lukas Märtens reached the final in the 200 meter freestyle.
Florian Wellbrock’s first appearance in the World Cup hall will also be exciting. The 26-year-old competed twice as defending champion in the open water and was twice unable to take part in the fight for the medals. His preliminary run over the 800 meter freestyle will give a first indication of his form in the competition pool. There it is also one of the precious metal candidates.
