European Cup in Barcelona

Karl celebrates a successful finish in open water

Coach Plamen Ryaskov (left) with protégé Luca Karl in Barcelona.(Bild: zVg)

This is the way to go into the summer break! Swimming ace Luca Karl ends the open water season with a strong fifth place in Barcelona. The Salzburg native is confident about qualifying for the World Championships next year.

Luca Karl ends the open water season with a strong fifth place at the European Cup in Barcelona. "We are very satisfied. It was a very successful finish," said the Salzburg native, who was supported by coach Plamen Ryaskov in Spain. "I only just missed out in the final sprint, but otherwise I was always in the leading group. I've taken a really important step forward for the World Championship qualifiers next year," said the student in a positive mood. The 2025 World Swimming Championships will be held in Singapore and therefore in Asia for the first time. The required limits have not yet been published. It is therefore difficult to estimate whether Karl's time would have been enough. "But it was definitely a very good recommendation!"

The victory went to local hero Guillem Belmonte, who completed the ten kilometers in 1:56:33, four seconds faster than Karl from Salzburg. For the latter, the open water season is now over. He already has motivation for the future: "We want to build on our performance."