Gold for Germany
July 21, 2009
Thomas Lurz is the most successful swimmer of all time in open water events. The 29-year-old German now has seven World Championship gold medals to his name, five of them won in succession over five kilometers of open water.
Lurz won Tuesday's race, which he completed in 59 minutes and 27 seconds, by a narrow margin over Greek rival Spyridon Gianniotis, with South African Chad Ho grabbing the bronze.
Lurz and Gianniotis pulled clear from a group of leaders in the final kilometer, and fought each other hard until the end.
"I really had to give everything, and of course, I'm really happy," Lurz said after the race.
Germany's swimming ace also holds the Olympic bronze medal for the 10 kilometer swim, but in that race at Beijing he was taken aback by eventual winner Maarten Van der Weijden.
His victory marks Germany's first medal at the biannual FINA World Championships in Rome, which began on July 17 and end on August 2.
"Now I need to make sure that I rest and recover quickly," Lurz said, looking ahead to his 10 kilometer race in the Mediterranean on Wednesday.
msh/AFPE/dpa
Editor: Neil King