Gianniotis just misses out on second gold at worlds
Germany’s Thomas Lurz pipped Greece’s Spyros Gianniotis to a second gold medal at the World Open Water Championship in Shanghai on July 22 when he won the men’s 5-kilometer race by less than a second over, reversing the result of the 10-kilometer race earlier in the week.
Lurz finished in 56 minutes, 16.6 seconds, and Gianniotis in 56.17.4. Evgeny Drattsev of Russia was third in 56.18.5.
Lurz passed the Greek swimmer late in the race.
“It was my strategy to leave it to the end,» Lurz said. «But I was only sure that I won when I touched the finish board.”
Gianniotis said he knew Lurz was getting close.
“The last few hundred meters, I was in the lead and I knew Thomas was behind,» Gianniotis said. «He began to fight back, and I just pushed ahead, thinking I was ahead and I had nothing or no one to lose. It’s very, very hard. He was very, very clever.”
On July 20 in the 10-kilometer race, Gianniotis passed Lurz near the finish to take gold, relegating Lurz to silver.
