Liebmann, 19, added 1,500-meter gold to his 800-meter win and lowered the previous record by almost four seconds. Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images
Aug. 15, 2026 Updated 2:30 pm EDT
Johannes Liebmann of Germany smashed the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle world record on Saturday at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, swimming the longest pool race in 14 minutes, 26.79 seconds to beat the old mark by nearly four seconds.
American Bobby Finke had held the record since the 2024 Olympics, when he swam 14:30.67 to win gold, also in Paris.
The 19-year-old Liebmann jumped out fast and was ahead of Finke’s pace the entire time. The only question was whether he could keep it up in the latter stages of the distance race. At nearly every split, he extended his lead on Finke’s time, leading it by five seconds heading into the final 50 meters.
🚨 WOOORLD RECORD 🚨
Johannes Liebmann 🇩🇪 is the first swimmer ever to go under 14:30 in the men’s 1500m freestyle pic.twitter.com/cuzhvEocyP
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) August 15, 2026
Liebmann’s key move on the record books came between 400 and 800 meters, accelerating more than two seconds ahead of Finke’s pace in that span, per SwimSwam.
Liebmann outpaced Hungary’s Zalán Sarkany, who finished in second, by over 60 meters and nearly 13 seconds. Sarkany competed collegiately at Indiana, was an eight-time All-American, and broke the NCAA record in the 1,000-yard freestyle earlier this year.
Earlier this week, Liebmann also won gold in the 800-meter freestyle, setting a European record of 7:37.59. It was a record Liebmann himself previously held.
Aug 15, 2026
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