Bart Swings, Olympic Speed Skater, Aims for 9th Inline Skating Victory at Berlin Marathon

The Berlin Marathon is known for pushing runners to their limits, but on September 29th, a different kind of athlete will tear through the German capital’s streets – Olympic speed skating champion Bart Swings.

Swings won’t be pounding the pavement on foot, though. He’ll be one of over 5,000 skaters taking part in the marathon’s inline skating competition, the largest of its kind in the world. This isn’t just any race for Swings – it’s a chance to reclaim the title he surprisingly lost to compatriot Jason Suttles in 2023.

Swings is a legend in the Berlin Marathon’s inline skating scene. He holds the record for most wins, having triumphed a staggering eight times since the discipline’s inception in 1997.

His dominance on wheels started just a year before his Winter Olympic debut in Sochi 2014. While his best finish there was fourth in the 5,000m, Berlin became his summer playground. He secured four consecutive victories from 2014 to 2017, all leading up to his PyeongChang 2018 silver medal in the men’s mass start.

The following years saw Swings further solidify his inline skating dominance, culminating in a course record of 56.45 minutes in 2022. This success mirrored his growing prowess in speed skating, where he secured three more Berlin wins.

However, 2023 brought a bittersweet twist. Swings and Suttles tied with an identical time of 57.01. Sportsmanship prevailed, with Swings letting Suttles claim victory for leading most of the race. This year, the gloves might be off.

The clash between the two Belgians promises to be a highlight, with international challengers like Spain’s Patxi Peula, Italy’s Matteo Barison, and the Swiss duo of Severin Widmer and Nicolas Iten also vying for the podium.

But Swings arrives battle-tested. Fresh off victories in both the 5,000m and 10,000m points races at the 2024 Inline Speed Skating World Championships in Pescara, Italy, he’s in peak form.

The Berlin Marathon is not just about redemption – it’s a crucial stepping stone towards the upcoming winter season. With the first of six World Cups kicking off in Nagano, Japan in November, and the prestigious ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships looming in March, Swings needs to be sharp.

His ultimate goal lies beyond Berlin, at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The two-time world champion in the men’s speed skating mass start is determined to defend his hard-earned title.

So, while the world focuses on the runners in the Berlin Marathon, keep an eye out for the “summer speed demon” tearing through the streets on wheels. Bart Swings is on a mission to reclaim his crown and propel himself towards another glorious winter on ice.

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