Second World Cup

Karl better in open water – pool limit difficult

Karl wants to concentrate more on open water in the future.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Swimming hopeful Luca Karl completed his second World Cup in open water on Saturday. He sees himself there in the long term and wants to focus more on it in the future. However, it could be more difficult for the student in the pool.

In contrast to the changeable weather in Salzburg, swimmer Luca Karl found wonderful conditions in Egypt. At the World Cup in open water, he finished in 22nd place after ten kilometers, 2:36 minutes behind the Italian winner Domenico Acerenza. "We were actually relatively satisfied," summed up the man from Salzburg, who had only his second start in open water. "So I'm still relatively green behind the ears, but it was a big step forward compared to the first World Cup," said a delighted Karl.

The assessment in the pool follows in April
However, the joy of the improvement in open water is clouded by the prospects in the pool. "Unfortunately, the pool limit is more difficult this year because the limit is eleven seconds faster than last year and we are therefore relying more on the open water," says the 21-year-old. Nevertheless, there will be an assessment in April, where "Charly" will try everything.

However, the focus will be on May, when the swimming ace faces the European Championship open water qualifiers in Piombino (Ita).