German Wellbrock wins open water gold at World Aquatics championships
Germany's Florian Wellbrock won gold in the men's 10-kilometre open water swimming on Wednesday at the World Aquatics championships.
The 27-year-old came out on top after 1 hour 59 minutes 55.50 seconds, beating Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy by 3.70 seconds. Third place went to Australia's Kyle Lee.
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With an official water temperature of 30.4 degrees Celsius, Wellbrock swam in the leading group from the start and was at the front for most of the race.
On the final lap, he fended off Paltrinieri's challenge and remained in first place.
This was Wellbrock's sixth World championships title in open water swimming.
The women's 10km open water race is later on Wednesday.
Water quality controversy
The women's race was postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday due to the dirty sea at Palawan Beach, and both events on Wednesday were pushed back while water monitoring continued.
A statement from organizers said water quality samples collected during Tuesday afternoon met the standards outlined in the World Aquatics competition regulations.
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The three samples taken along the course had shown "a significant improvement, with levels of E. coli falling between the ranges of 'good' to 'excellent'," organizers said.
"Regular water quality monitoring and testing continues throughout the competition period to ensure athlete safety, with the health and safety of all participants continuing to guide all competition-related decisions," the statement said.
"World Aquatics and the Singapore 2025 organizers extend our appreciation to all athletes, officials, and supporters for their patience and cooperation."
Last year's Paris Olympics also faced the same issue in the River Seine. The poor water quality repeatedly sparked debate and delays. Several swimmers reported health problems after their competitions.
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