On the first day of the Games, Hell missed a spot for the top 8 final of the 400 m freestyle, finishing in ninth place with a time of 3:50.80.

Teaming with Michael Kiedel, Christian Keller, and Stefan Herbst, Hell swam the lead-off leg and recorded a time of 1:50.48.

[4] In his last event, 1500 m freestyle, Hell finished outside the medals in eighth place by more than 10 seconds behind Ukraine's Igor Chervynskiy in 15:19.87.

Swimming in heat four, he raced to fifth place by a 4.55-second margin behind winner and defending Olympic silver medalist Massimiliano Rosolino of Italy, outside his entry time of 3:52.06.

Swimming the second leg, Hell recorded a split of 1:49.15, but the Germans pulled off again with a sixth-place effort, in a final time of 7:16.51.