Johannes Liebmann breaks 1500m world record Paris; distance double gold

European Aquatics Championships 2026: German wunderkind Johannes Liebmann breaks 1500m world record for distance double gold

The teenager chopped nearly four seconds off the previous mark to claim the 800-1500m double gold in Paris on Saturday (15 August).

German teenager Johannes Liebmann delivered a distance swimming masterclass to add the 1,500m freestyle title to his 800 metres gold at the European Aquatics Championships 2026 on Saturday (15 August).

The 19-year-old Liebmann reached the halfway mark more than four seconds under world-record pace with the rest of the field trailing in his wake.

Liebmann made his intentions clear from the get-go as he first got some open water on the rest of the field before he edged ahead of the world record pace.

With each stroke, Liebmann chipped away at the previous world record held by Bobby Finke (14:30.67) of the U.S, dipping four seconds under the mark at the halfway mark.

Instead of fading over the second half, Liebmann upped the ante before touching the wall in a stunning 14 minutes, 26.79 seconds (14:26.79).

Liebmann finished well ahead of the second-placed Zalan Sarkany of Hungary (14:39.45) and compatriot Oliver Klemet (14:40.64) in third.

“I’m just amazed. The time is incredible. I didn’t think it was possible for me. So yeah, I’m just speechless,” Liebmann told Olympics.com.

“The race was hard. I started fast. It was planned to just get rid of the others to swim my own race. Halfway through the race, I saw I was way ahead of the others, and I felt good.

“Then it only got harder, and I guess in the last 200 or 300 metres, I saw the crowd standing up, and it just gave me another burst of power.”

Liebmann said he was not aware that he was racing under world-record pace but believed he was on his way to a stellar time considering how hard he was pushing.

“It was so hard that I thought this had to be a good time. I knew I was in good shape, so I tried to do my best. And when I saw the crowd standing, I knew probably a European record, maybe world record, but I thought it was close. So I was a bit over thinking it, and the last 100 metres were so hard. But then just seeing the 14:26 is incredible.”

31 July - 16 August

European Aquatics Championships | Paris | France