Summer Games in Paris: "Tough": Märtens has no time for a gold party

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Summer Games in Paris: "Tough": Märtens has no time for a gold party 7 hours • 2 minutes reading time Lukas Märtens celebrates his Olympic victory - but he can't celebrate for long. The big party will have to wait for Lukas Märtens. Just 14 hours after his biggest career triumph, the Olympic champion jumps into the water again in the Arena La Défense. "It's obviously tough, but I've been practicing it for the last few years," said the 22-year-old after his splendid gold race in the 400-meter freestyle. "That's why it's now time to use every minute to regenerate. Because I think I still have a chance or two of winning a medal." Märtens is also one of the medal candidates in the 200-meter distance, where the preliminary rounds are scheduled for this Sunday morning. Frenzied cheering in the German House A visit to the German House was no longer possible for him on Saturday evening. More than 2,000 fans had watched Märtens' final on several screens. When gold was confirmed, frenzied cheering erupted. The atmosphere was reminiscent of public viewing events at football. The fact that Märtens missed the world record of Germany's swimming icon Paul Biedermann with his time of 3:41.78 minutes did not bother him at all, he said. "I don't think I have to be ashamed of the time either," said the Magdeburg native. "Many people expected this record to fall. I don't give a damn whether it has fallen or not. I'm right at the top and I think I deserve it." Biedermann "very impressed" Biedermann, whose best time is 3:40.07 minutes, was enthusiastic about Märtens' race. "I am very impressed with how Lukas swam this Olympic final," he said. "He controlled the field and didn't let anything get in his way. Cool, composed and confident. That probably describes this race best." The spectators in the packed Olympic Arena, where actor Tom Cruise and rap superstar Snoop Dogg also came to the start of the swimming competitions, honored the magnificent performance with thunderous applause. The block with the German fans and national team colleagues was particularly enthusiastic. "It was just really cool to run into this hall," said Märtens. "There were so many German fans there, of course I noticed," he added - at least that was the case before and after the race. "I didn't notice anything during the race, I just swam my own way. I thought I was swimming against my training colleagues in Magdeburg," he said: "You have to have a plan. You can't think: I have to. I don't have to do anything. That’s how I approached it.” (dpa)