Anyone who voluntarily jumps into the Seine

Jan Hercog is taking on the open water adventure at the Summer Games in Paris. The 25-year-old from Graz is not afraid of bacteria and currents, on the contrary, he looks forward to them. About distances, real toughness, strength, crawling and the search for common sense.

Vienna. “Why did I become an open water swimmer? 'Because I have a defect! ' Anyone who talks to Jan Hercog about swimming, especially the crawl distance of more than ten kilometers, crosses a wide range of worlds of space, time and humor with the man from Graz, who has lived and trained in Halle an der Saale for years. The pessimists, because he is rarely noticed in his country, and even the European Open Water Championships taking place on the New Danube this weekend are having a hard time attracting a crowd. The sarcastic ones, because Hercog will be jumping into the Seine as part of the Summer Games in Paris, and he has to hope for the social skills of the organizers, and the happy ones, because he has found fulfillment precisely by overcoming this distance. Hand on heart: who feels happy in his work day in and day out?

Hercog crawls 80 to 100 kilometres a week. If he only competed in a 50-metre pool, he would quickly “vomit”. Count the tiles, the monotony, the chlorine, no: he prefers nature. Overtaking is always the main goal, and during the race he cleverly blocks out the noise and everyday thoughts. Since you always swim in a group (“It’s like a two-hour battle with a heart rate of 195”), it is important to maintain your speed, distance and vision. Elbows and a certain amount of firmness are an advantage; an extraordinary enjoyment of getting wet and in the water is a basic requirement. Naturally, additional skin creams are standard equipment along with a swimsuit, goggles and a cap.

Definitely not a course of antibiotics.