Thomas Lurz (born 28 November 1979) is a German

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who specializes in long-distance

freestyle swimming Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in which competitors are subject to a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most commo ...

, especially

open water swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginning of the modern age of open water human swimming, swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when L ...

. Lurz lives in Gerbrunn and swims for the SV Würzburg 05 sports club.

Biography

He competed for Germany at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

in the 1500 m freestyle, where he missed the final, but returned to the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, where he won a bronze medal in the 10 km open water race. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he finished one place higher, claiming the silver medal. He was the world champion in the 10 km open-water swimming event in 2004, 2006 and 2009. From to 2005 to 2011, he won gold in the 5 km event seven times in a row. He was jointly awarded the inaugural Open Water Swimmer of the Year by ''

Swimming World Magazine ''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...

'' with

Chip Peterson Charles Bowne "Chip" Peterson (born December 3, 1987) is an American competition swimming (sport), swimmer who specializes in long-distance freestyle swimming, especially open water swimming, in which he is a world champion. Career At the 200 ...

, winning following titles in 2006 and 2009 alone and 2011 together with

Spyridon Gianniotis Spyridon "Spyros" Gianniotis (; born 19 February 1980) is a Greek competitive swimmer who specialises in long-distance and open-water freestyle events. He is an Olympic silver medalist, two-time World Champion, World Cup gold medalist, and two ...

International medals

He won 20 medals at the World Open Water Swimming Championships.

Achievements

* Ten German titles for 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m and 10,000 m (open-water) freestyle * Winner of the European Open Water Competition 2005 * Silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the

2005 Summer Universiade The 2005 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIII Summer Universiade, took place in İzmir, Turkey, in August. Emblem The emblem is the letter “U”, inspired by the bird's-eye view of the Gulf of İzmir. This shape has perfectly fit the lett ...

* Gold medal in 5 km event at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships * Gold medals in 5 km and 10 km events at the

2006 European Aquatics Championships The 2006 European Swimming Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary, from 26 July – 6 August 2006. Disciplines include swimming, diving, synchronised swimming (synchro) and open water swimming. European Water Polo Championships for 2006 ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

* Gold medal in 5 km event at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships * Gold medals in 5 km and 10 km events at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships * Gold medal in 10 km event at the

2010 European Aquatics Championships The 2010 European Aquatics Championships were held from 4–15 August 2010 in Budapest and Balatonfüred, Hungary. It was the fourth time that the city of Budapest hosts this event after 1926, 1958 and 2006. Events in swimming, diving, synchroni ...

.Europei di nuoto: argento a Clerinella gara dei 10 km
/ref> * Gold medal in 5 km event at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships * Silver medal in 10 km event at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships * Silver medal in 10 km event at the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

* Gold medals in 25 km and 5 km team events at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships * Silver medal in 10 km event at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships * Bronze medal in 5 km event at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lurz, Thomas 1979 births Male long-distance swimmers German male swimmers Living people Olympic swimmers of Germany Sportspeople from Würzburg Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Germany Olympic bronze medalists for Germany Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in open water swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Universiade medalists in swimming Universiade silver medalists for Germany Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade European Open Water Swimming Championships medalists

Biography

International medals

Achievements

See also

References

External links