Swimming meeting

Silver Simon creates Olympic flair at home

Simon Bucher swims at the event organized by his home club TWV Innsbruck.(Bild: GEPA)

The Tyrolean vice world champion Simon Bucher is the big attraction at the 10th international swimming meeting in Innsbruck's Tivoli outdoor pool this weekend. The 23-year-old will be competing in the 50 meter crawl in a knockout competition. The European Championships in Serbia await before the Olympic Games in Paris.

The weather forecasters mean well for the 420 starters from four nations, indicating a high for the weekend. The absolute highlight of the 10th international Innsbruck Swim-Meeting in the Tivoli outdoor pool (also the first stop of the Euregio Cup) is the participation of local hero Simon Bucher, who lives and trains in Linz.

Selfie hunters can rejoice.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

"I'm currently in the gym, I'll be on my way in the evening," the 23-year-old told the Krone on Friday afternoon. The Innsbruck native is on the starting block as runner-up in the world championships, having sensationally won silver in the 100-metre dolphin at the long track world championships in Doha on 17 February.

Early Olympic qualification
"I'm happy to support my old club. It's also my last visit home before the Olympics," said Bucher. Unlike compatriot Bernhard Reitshammer, who is still swimming for the individual limit in Vienna at the same time, he qualified for Paris in March 2023.

Good training
"In Innsbruck, I'm not competing in the 100 dolphin, but in the 50-metre crawl in the Australian final. That's good training." The fastest eight swimmers will compete against each other in a knockout competition. The slowest swimmer is eliminated. A new heat takes place every three minutes. 1800 euros in prize money will be paid out.

Opatril leaves out Innsbruck
Tyrol's figurehead is missing from the women's event. "Unfortunately. But I'm currently writing my master's thesis," said future primary school teacher Lena Opatril, who, like Bucher and Bucher, will be taking part in the European Championships in Belgrade, Serbia (June 10-23).