Just to catch up where we left off at the end of the previous blog post: After racing at the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico I went back to my team in Switzerland, for a final stroke of training before the European Olympics aka the European Games.
The 3rd European Games
The European Games are similar to the Olympics in that they are a 2-3 week long sports event held every 4 years. However, only athletes from Europe compete and not all Olympic sports are represented. For example, Triathlon was not on the schedule during the last European Games in Minsk, Belarus, making it the second-ever Triathlon European Games. This year, Krakow, Poland played host to this major European sporting event. I participated in the individual race, which determined the lineup for the Mixed Relay Team.
Living the Olympic experience is unforgettable. The Olympic Village is brimming with energy and great opportunities to meet old and new friends. The atmosphere is filled with pride and a willingness to compete. This year, there were 49 countries represented by roughly 7,000 athletes competing across 29 disciplines, so the dining area had to be massive, as it had to accommodate all of the athletes and support staff 😃 The race and environment were highly organized, and you could feel the magnitude of the event in every moment.
Preview
The start list was full of top athletes, but at this level, you have to get used to it. The first thing I am looking for when analyzing the athletes is the existence of swim power. The more great swimmer-bikers we have, the higher chances we have of making a strong first group, which can create an advantage. In Krakow, it was all given, we had plenty of dope swimmers with the willingness to push on the bike. The main goal was to swim strong, get off with the first group, and then run a 10k personal best.
Individuals
The Elite Women’s race can be rewatched here.
The swim was intense from the very first moment. Unfortunately, after the start, I caught up in a little fight, so I couldn’t reach the position I wanted. It took almost 1 lap to get back on the lead but by then Sophie Alden and Mathilde Gautier created a sufficient lead that I couldn’t tackle on the second lap. After 1500 meters of swimming I came out 3rd, had a decent T1, and got on the bike as first on my bike group and 3rd overall.
After settling down, the other 13 athletes and I became the chasers. The simple mission was to get back to the leaders as soon as we can. During the first two laps, some athletes were left behind. However, we were able to catch up to the leaders, resulting in the formation of a leading group consisting of 14 people. We had the most we could, but the Norwegians were outbikeable during the entire event. The chasing group led by Lotte Miller; was able to cut significant seconds km-by-km and they united the two groups on the 4th lap. As a result of that the first group populated to 23 people, with really great runners joining the conversation. The remaining laps were really tense, the possibility of breaking away was in the air. We created a healthy - over 2 minute - lead compared to the new second group.
As I mentioned in earlier blog posts, I have struggled a few times during my runs. My shoes rubbed against my feet so much that they started bleeding and hurting, which limited my running speed. (To be fair, it is not my shoe’s fault, my skin is weak on my heels that can easily get wounded. I’ve been running in plenty of different shoes, and it happened all the time. But the best shoes I’ve ever head are my ONs, no doubt the fastest and most comfortable shoes out there) To overcome this, I decided to try running in socks. I practiced pulling up my socks before putting on my shoes many times. During the race, this only added three seconds to my transition time. And to my surprise, it turned out to be a game-changer! I could give it all out, and there were no limitations other than my capabilities. I was 19th out of T2, and I was able to pick a great pace, that I could not just maintain but build on. I got lucky that I could run with Sara Guerrero Manso from the beginning and we helped each other out. Slowly but surely I started catching others and it give me a huge boost every single time. All the hard work and increasing the importance of my running development resulted in a new PB on 10 kilometers.
I’ve left everything out there and crossed the finish line at the 15th place. This was the best-ever Hungarian result in the history of the European Games. Also, this 15th finish secured my spot on the Mixed Relay Team.
My previous best on 10 kilometers got destroyed with around 2 minutes and the reason behind that is the awesome work we did in Switzerland in the last couple of weeks. I am truly grateful to my team and my coach Nico! I’ve been a great swimmer and biker girl who got passed by everyone in the race, but was the first time that no one passed me in the running discipline, furthermore, I surpassed athletes. I was and still am over the moon with my running on the run, but there is a lot of space for improvement.
Mixed Relay
The Mixed Team Relay race can be rewatched here.
The team was assembled based on individual members, with the exception of Zsanett Bragmayer, who joined from WTCS Montreal. The main contenders for the podium were the French, German, Norwegian, and Swiss teams. We did believe in ourselves, but we stood at the starting line as true underdogs. We knew we have the required things theoretically, but despite that, no one thought of us as a threat.
Gergő Kiss went first, completing a decent swim, he was 1st out of the water and 1st on the bike after T1. The field remained close together after the bike, so the running portion determined which country would start the second leg first. Gergő handed the relay on the 6th place, and a few seconds later Zsanett was off to the swim.
During the swim, she already caught up to the first teams and proved that she did not become a top-tier athlete by accident. She tore through the whole field. She wasn’t about to joke around as she destroyed a 17-second deficit only with 300 meters of swimming. Zsani demonstrated her power on the bike and was first coming into T2 and she immediately tuned the rockets on and run through the 1500 meters as if it would be nothing. At the end of the second leg, Team Hungary was 2nd, but there was a lot to do until the end.
Our other Gergő - Dobi Gergő - was in the line to fight for the relay. At this point of the race Team Luxembourg and Hungary were on the lead, chased by a group formed by Italy, Denmark, and Norway. Luxembourg dropped as Gergő came out first of the water, while the Italians crawled back to the front. So an Italian-Hungarian leading group was in the lead. After a really aggressive and tense bike and run, Hungary was 14 seconds behind the leading Norwegian team in 6th place.
The first 3 legs passed really fast and it seemed like a minute. And here my time come, all my previous nervousness disappeared and I was determined to give everything. The chances were there, although no one believed in the miracle yet. I sprinted as I could to the pontoon, I felt really powerful and strong. 300 meters were enough for me to put our relay back in the 3rd position. With that, a really strong group of seven had all the chances to fight for the podium. I felt myself in my element, with all the confidence I collected during the individual race. I was 3rd off the bike and Norway, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Us were in the front into the running. After coming out from T2, I’ve already heard from the crowds that my job is to stick to the Swiss Nora Gmuer’s feet, as they collected a 10-second penalty during their first leg. Without exaggeration, I’ve been on the greatest race of my life, and I felt that I knew that, I wasn’t about letting the miracle slide away. The Norwegian powerhouse Solveig Lovseth dictated a strong pace, and I kept up with Her. Looking back this looks unbelievable, but I was someone else during that run. I was only a few hundred meters away from crossing the finish line when the Swiss team started serving their penalty.
A couple of blinks later, we arrived at the blue carpet. As I looked back, I began to realize the incredible situation we were in. When I crossed the finish line, a flood of emotions overtook me. I shouted for long seconds. We did it! It was the first time in a while that Hungary had placed on the Mixed Relay podium, and everyone was over the moon with what we had achieved. The Hungarian Olympic Committee was out there as well, celebrating with us. It seems almost impossible, a week later, but it really happened.
Another remarkable fact is that I achieved the 2nd best time in the 4th leg. It’s a great feeling to see all the emotions and hard work pay off, but it’s important to remember that this is a long season. Though the ultimate goal is closer, the Olympic Games are still far away.
Final Thoughts
I am truly proud of our team, we achieved something that seemed not only impossible, but a dream, despite the extremely heavy rain during the whole race.
Also I’ve met with plenty of new and old friends, it was amazing to be with all of you! Special shout out to my girl Julia Bröcker! :)
Thank you for taking the time to read this race-summary post. If you don’t want to miss anything fresh here, follow me on Instagram, where I will always share if a new article is up. If you found a mistake or have an idea for the future, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on the given platforms!
Cheers and See Ya next time! :)
Disclaimer: Few of the photos above were taken by World Triathlon and they are the respectful owners.