Sarah Wellbrock, Citing Health, Announces Retirement from Swimming

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Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

Sarah Wellbrock, Citing Health, Announces Retirement from Swimming

Olympic medalist Sarah Wellbrock has announced her retirement from swimming, citing injuries and health issues.

Wellbrock (nee Kohler) made the announcement on Instagram on Wednesday.

The announcement read in part:

Swimming has been a part of me for almost my entire life and has defined my everyday life for the last 18 years. But for over 2 years my body can’t take the stress anymore. I gave everything for an Olympic medal and was rewarded but for my own good I have to draw a line now. It was an incredibly hard decision. I always thought it would be easier. But I know (being rational) it’s the best decision. Of course, countless tears have been shed within this decision-making process and there will certainly be some more.

Wellbrock, 28, competed under her maiden name, Sarah Kohler (she and fellow German distance star Florian Wellbrock married in 2022.)

Sarah Wellbrock had a distinguished distance and open-water career that reached its zenith with a bronze medal at the Olympics in Tokyo. She finished seventh in the 800 free and grabbed bronze in the 1,500, with a German record time of 15:42.91, getting her on the podium behind Americans Katie Ledecky and Erica Sullivan.

Wellbrock was part of Germany’s team open water gold medalists at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, where she won silver in the 1,500 behind Simona Quadarella. She has five career European Championships medals – three long-course and two short-course, including gold in the 800 free at the 2017 meet in Copenhagen.

She retires as the owner of the German record in the 800 and 1500 free, both long- and short-course. Her time of 15:18.01 from the German Short-Course Championships in 2019 is the European record in the 1,500 free.

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Randy Rogers

10 months ago

I believe her husband’s first name is Florian.