With 12 world titles and two Olympic medals, Thomas Lurz is the most decorated open water swimmer of all time. But there is one glaring absence on the 35-year-old’s CV. “An Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing from my career and it’s my final objective as a professional,” the German told rio2016.com as he prepared for this Sunday’s (December 14) King and Queen of the Sea Challenge in Copacabana.

“I will be retiring after the Rio 2016 Games and bidding farewell with a gold medal in this wonderful setting that is Copacabana beach would be the perfect end to my marathon swimming career,” added Lurz, who is hoping to replicate the success of his nation’s footballers in this year’s World Cup in Brazil. “We Germans have had a lot of luck in Rio recently, so I hope it will be lucky for me in two years’ time.”

A long-distance specialist, Lurz began swimming in open waters in 2001. Before marathon swimming was introduced into the Olympic programme, he represented Germany in the pool at the Athens 2004 Games, but did not make it through to the 1500m final. Four years later, in Beijing, he took part in marathon swimming’s debut and won the bronze medal. In London 2012, he rose one position on the podium, finishing only three and a half seconds behind Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli, his main rival.

Lurz competed in Brazil in 2011, winning the swimming marathon World Cup stage in Santos, São Paulo state, but he has never competed in Rio before. “It really is the most beautiful place I have ever competed in,” Lurz said. “The scenery is wonderful, a beautiful beach surrounded by mountains. The climate is great and the location is technically ideal for marathon swimming. It’s perfect. This beautiful and famous location will be really important for promoting the sport.

“This is a great opportunity to come to Rio and get to know the city and the competition location. I’ve been planning to visit Rio for years, but it’s taken me this long. I would like to return a few more times before the Games.”

Lurz's main aim in 2015 will be to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

With his objective clearly defined, Lurz is now focusing on securing his place at the 2016 Games. In 2015, he will be training specifically for the swimming world championships, which will decide the first 10 qualifiers for the Rio 2016 marathon swimming event.

“In 2015, I’m going to opt out of the World Cup and concentrate on the world championships, in order to qualify for Rio 2016,” he said. “At my age, I think that it’s best to conserve my energies for my top priority, securing a place at Rio 2016.”

Luiz Lima, who was one of Brazil’s top marathon swimmers before hanging up his trunks, now helps organise the King and Queen of the Sea Challenge. Lima, who competed in the pool at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, is delighted that Lurz will compete in Rio this weekend.

“Thomas is the greatest athlete in the history of marathon swimming,” said Lima. “He has won world titles in the five, 10 and 25 kilometre events and has two Olympic medals. He has competed and promoted the sport in the four corners of the world and acted as a genuine ambassador.”

The King and Queen of the Sea Challenge is an international mixed doubles competition with swimmers from six countries taking part: Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Spain, United States and Italy. The event will take place at 10am on Sunday morning and will feature three other world champions: Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), Chip Peterson (USA) and Valerio Cleri (Italy).