A few weeks before the FINA World Championships, 33 year old Thomas Lurz
A few weeks before the FINA World Championships, 33 year old Thomas Lurz contemplated the events he would swim in Barcelona and pondered over the goals he would set for himself. Of the four events on the open water swimming program, Lurz must have had trouble making a decision. Instead h
e entered all four of them; the 5K, 5K Team Event; 10K and 25K. His program would include a staggering total of 45 kilometers of racing in Moll de la Vista harbour.Xxx
The three time Ollympian was certainly accomplished at the shorter events but he had never won a medal in the 25K. Lurz is still fresh off the podium in Hyde Park from last summer's second place finish in the Olympic 10K Swim Marathon. In 2008 he earned a bronze in the inagural 10K at the Beijing Olympics,. To Lurz's way of thinking he's not just getting older, he is getting better.
Two years ago at the 2011 world championships in Shanghai he won the 5K event claiming his 7th consecutive world championship title in that event. On his resume were three 10K world championship titles, He is only the second male swimmer to do that. Lurz and his German teammates earned a bronze medal in the new Team 5K event when it was introduced two years ago in Shanghai.
He isn't the oldest of
99 men entered in one of the four open water events, that honor goes to Igor Snitko of the Ukraine. But he is older than 98 other men that would jump in the harbour to race against him. He is the most medalled open water swimmer in the history of the sport. In fact there are only two other athletes across all five of FINA's disiplines that have earned more FINA World Championship titles than Thomas Lurz. Those guys are named Michael Phelps (33 titles) and Ryan Lochte (19 titles).
Setting goals before important events was something that the elder statesman of open water swimming has been doing for quite some time.
An obvious objective was to continue his streak of unbeaten titles in the 5K since his first in the 2005 Montreal championships. Unfortunately Lurz was 1.8 seconds short of adding an eight gold but he found his way to the podium for his ninth medal, a second bronze in the 5K event.
No man had won four titles in the 10K so Lurz would have been the first to do this had reigning world champion Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece not arrived at the touchpad 2.7 seconds ahead of the German ace. Lurz would settle for a silver medal in the 10K to go with the one bronze and three other silver medals already in his trophy case.
Lurz would find his precious gold in the second half of the week. With the help of Isabelle Harle and Christian Reichert the German trio beat 21 other teams to capture a gold medal in the 5K Team Event. The finish time of the third swimmer determines the teams final time and their time of 52:54.9 was more than a minute ahead of the second place Greek squad. The athletes remarked at how fast the Team Events was, confirmed by the fact that the time for the slowest German, a female, was faster than all 52 of the men who raced in the individual 5K just five days earlier on the same course.
On the eighth day of world championships and the final day of open water swiming Lurz would win his first medal in the 25K
gold medal
win a medal in all 4 ows events
total # of german
successfully allow his rivals to lead the race Gianniis would miss a bouy and need to go back
would put a check mark
check off a number of his goals. He woudl win.....
He would win his first 25K
deliver the XXX medal of
accomplish what no other open water
Although there's no possibility that his career is ending anytime soon, the FINA Aquatics World Magazine caught up with Lurz just 24 hours after his 25K championship victory to learn more about the swimmer from Wurzburg, Germany.
Lurz remembers his FINA first world championship race swimming in Momochi Beach in Fukuoka, Japan. The 19 year old finished 13th, more than 90 seconds behind the winner. WHO? during the summer of 2001. It would be another year of training before he would earn his first FINA medal, a bronze in the 5K in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt at the 2nd FINA Open Water Swimming World Championships. He wasn't fast enough in the German trials to be selected to swim in Spain's first edition held 10 years ago which was also held in the same spectacular Barcelona venue.
In his first Olympics in Athens 2004 he would finish in 22nd place in the 1500m freestyle in 15:33.81, a time that was far from his best.
Interview with World Champion Thomas Lurz:
How do you feel a day after winning gold in the 25K and after swimming 45K in 4 different races during the World Championships:
"I am a little bit tired, I'm still hurting. I dont know how to lie on the bed and get sleep, my left arm is hurting, my right arm is hurting, my scratches are hurting. All together those races were pretty tough and made this mistake of forgetting to apply Vaseline before the 5K race. I still make mistakes! The salt water and the tight suit made things uncomfortable for me in the rest of my races.
In Barcelona you earned a bronze medal in the 5K event, an event which you had dominated winning seven consecutive races, what happened that you didn't win?
"I had some contact with other athletes in the 5K and I came out of the water with some scratches due to the physicality of other swimmers. I could never get into the postion I wanted to be in before the finish. I knew that Sryrios would have a strong sprint. I avoided contract with other swimmers in the 10K and 25K because it only costs power that I prefer to conserve for the final sprint.
When did you swim your first open water race?
In 1998 at the German Championships. My first World Championships in Fukuoka in 2001, I was 23. I swum the 5K and placed 13th.
Did you race in pool events before switching over to an open water specialst?
Until 2001 I swam only in the pool in the 1500m. After I began Open Water swimming I improved my personal best from 15:35 to 15:11 in one year. My best time is 15:00.90 in 2006. At the big meets there was always a conflict with OWS events and I was never able to swim good times in the pool aftercompeting in the open water events events. I swam the 1500m only at the Athens Olympics. I swam 15:07 in 2008 and I wasn't tapered or shaved. Since I was already qualified for the 10K in Beijing, I skipped the German championships where I may have swum faster.
Pace in 25K....what is 100m pace in the 25k
Tell us about your 25K race in Barcelona where you swam 4:47x, the fastest time ever.
"The first lap was very slow but this is open water and every race is different. You need to switch the speeds all the time. Even if you swim very slow your muscules will get tired because it's not your rythm. I think the third lap was the fastest. I think its better to swim the speed of the whole group and find an opportunity to draft off of others, rather than being in front and.swimming your own thing
RACE QUOTES:
You tend to stay
I had some contact with other athletes in the 5K and i came out of the water with some scratches, I avoiuded other swimmers in the 10K and 25K
this costs a lot of power
Coach my brother has been coaching me since 2005. He is the head coach of the German Open Water Swimming program
Before that I was
he was an olympian in the 1988 Russian, Nicolay Evseev, 4x100 seoul......
You are very close to your brother, is a big influence in your life?
I only started swimming because of my brother. Stefan is 2 1/2 years older than me. He was learning to swim and his teachers told him that I should learn to swim as well. As a young brother you always do what your older brother is doing. At a young age Stefan was more highly talented than me. He placed third in the 200m fly at XXXXX
"When he was younger he knew every world record not only in swimming but in athletics too. After his swimming career he was
he was very professional. He was the assistant coach to Nicolay XXXXX but he was serious minded and very professional about being a swim coach. His job was selling insurance, but he realized that he liked coaching and he gave us his job to take over
Stefan is here in Barcelona as the German Open Water National Coach. He is not only coaching me, but also several other swimmers from our club:
his wife was 200m free 1:55 in Melbourne 2007
Leoni Beck, 15years
Soren Meissner 800 & 1500
Christian Reichert 10K and 5K Team Event
Annika Lurz
Stephan Lurz
Are there any challenges about having your brother as a swim coach?
Soometimes its hard, and sometimes we might quarrel a little bit, but I think this is normal because sport is emotions and this is OK. He is not the type of coach that needs to kick my ass or to tell me how hard to train. I don't need motivation from him. In fact he often needs to remind me that I'm getting older and maybe doing too much and that I should back off my training. I have always had a very good relationship with Stefan. As a brother living together for many years he knows exactly how I feel.
Is the bulk of your training in the pool?
"I train in the pool always. its important to train in a group.
When is the last time you missed a practice?
Never. For this season I never missed a practice. Missing a practice is not an option. I training 11 times a week, only one practice on Thursday. I take Sunday off but usually that's for dryland, running or biking.
The London Olympics were your third Olympics, what is your impression of the Serpentive venue and the man who beat you to the finish line?
Oussama Mellouli is a very good swimmer and tough competitor, new to the 10K. He won the Olympic Qualification race in Portugal which was in the sea and then went on to win gold at the Olympic Games. I think the Hyde Park venue was better for an expert pool swimmer like him and he's collecting more and more experience with every open water race he swims. He's a very good and tough swimmer, a very strong swimmer and because of his has brought the sport to another level. He was the Olympic champion in 2008 and he
the only time i can beat these people.
Did you set goals for yourself before the Barcelona world championships?
I said to myself that I want to do something that no one did before....i thought about setting a goal of winning three golds.
I wanted to make three golds
i wanted to win the 25k becuase that would mean I would have won ev
i knew that if I could be fast in the 10K, I would be able to swim well in the 25k
I
I don't have big hands, or big feet, and I'm not t
after time he realized that he is good at coaching and he decided to make it his profession. In Barcelona he is coaching one other open water swimming .......and he is a profession
my brother knew every world record in swimming and athlete.
We made the last 3k in London we swam about
In London we swam 30:20 for the last 3K.
I had some contact with other athletes in the 5K and i came out of the water with some scratches, I avoiuded other swimmers in the 10K and 25K
Review Open Water Men’s 25k
Thomas Peter Lurz (GER) won his 11th men's gold medal and 14th overall (including mixed team events) at the world open water championships to extend both of those records.
Lurz won his 24th medal at the world open water championships to extend his record. The next most in either gender is 15 – Edith van Dijk (NED).
With his first 25km gold medal, Lurz became the first man to win all three open water distances at the world championships. He has won the 5km freestyle seven times and the 10km freestyle three times.
Lurz is the first German man to win a world championship medal of any colour in the 25km freestyle.
Lurz became the second man to win the world championship gold medal in this race while finishing in under five hours, after Yury Kudinov (4:55:51.12 in 2000).
This is the eighth consecutive edition of this race to have been won by a swimmer representing a different NOC. The eight NOCs are: ESP, AUS, RUS, NED, ITA, USA, BUL and now GER.
Brian Ryckeman (BEL) won silver to claim Belgium's first medal of any colour in open water swimming at the world championships, in either gender.
Evegenii Drattcev (RUS) won bronze to give Russia its record 16th world championship medal in the men's 25km freestyle. Australia is next with six total medals in this discipline.
Lurz won his 24th medal at the world open water championships to extend his record. The next most in either gender is 15 – Edith van Dijk (NED).
With his first 25km gold medal, Lurz became the first man to win all three open water distances at the world championships. He has won the 5km freestyle seven times and the 10km freestyle three times.
Lurz is the first German man to win a world championship medal of any colour in the 25km freestyle.
Lurz became the second man to win the world championship gold medal in this race while finishing in under five hours, after Yury Kudinov (4:55:51.12 in 2000).
This is the eighth consecutive edition of this race to have been won by a swimmer representing a different NOC. The eight NOCs are: ESP, AUS, RUS, NED, ITA, USA, BUL and now GER.
Brian Ryckeman (BEL) won silver to claim Belgium's first medal of any colour in open water swimming at the world championships, in either gender.
Evegenii Drattcev (RUS) won bronze to give Russia its record 16th world championship medal in the men's 25km freestyle. Australia is next with six total medals in this discipline.
