The men’s swimming relay team from Austria, participating in the 4 x 100 m medley, made it to the finals at the Long Course World Championships held in Doha this Sunday. The live coverage of this event was provided by ORF Sport + starting from 6:37 p.m. Moreover, the team’s spot in the Olympics in Paris has been secured, as they are now among the top 16 competitors in their field.
The team, consisting of Bernhard Reitshammer, Valentin Bayer, Simon Bucher, and Heiko Gigler, completed the preliminary heat in 3:34.29 minutes, finishing seventh. Their track record was 0.29 seconds faster than their previous performance at the World Championships, which took place in Fukuoka, where they finished 11th.
Simon Bucher, who had won the silver medal in the 100 m dolphin event just the night before, expressed his thoughts on the team’s performance. He said, “It’s really amazing how we always manage to push each other to do better. There’s always room to move up a few places, and I believe I could swim a bit faster too. Today’s performance was not my best.”
Bernhard Reitshammer also chimed in, adding that the team’s collective happiness is palpable. He said, “We are all thrilled. There’s a unique dynamic within the team, and it brings a lot of enjoyment and fun to us.” Valentin Bayer shared his personal progress, saying that he too is becoming faster. Heiko Gigler, expressing his ambition, said, “Being in a World Cup final is always a big dream, and it’s our goal.”
