MADRID, 3 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish triathlete Javier Gómez Noya, five-time world champion and Olympic runner-up in London 2012, stated that his goal is to return “to the level of a year ago” with the aim of arriving with options in the Ironman World Championship in Nice (France) , which will be held on September 10.
In a meeting with the press in Valencia organized by Sportmed, distributor of the Italian firm DMT Cycling, sponsor of the Galician,
Javier Gómez Noya reviewed his past, present and future in the presentation of the ‘KT1’ model.
Noya recalled that his most special moment was in 2003, at the U-23 World Cup in Queenstown, when he realized that he could “become a professional”. “Iván Raña was the one who inspired me to be a triathlete. My best victory was when I became world triathlon champion in 2013 in London, in the World Series final, after beating Jonathan Brownlee in the sprint,” he recalled.
The Galician triathlete thinks that currently the sport “has stagnated a bit”. “Right now there is a bit of confusion. Even we, from within, see that there are too many organizations, many different world championships, with different distances and even formats that are being tested. I think we need to find a direction,” he advised.
However, in his opinion the sporting level in medium and long distance “is higher”. “Currently, there are very good athletes with great records: the young generations are coming strong,” said the five-time world champion, who has focused on the long distance since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“From that moment I started with some very good months of training, I think I was at my best to compete in long distance, but COVID cut it short. I had a complicated coronavirus and that left me with some sequelae that I had a hard time recovering. When I returned to I had two major injuries in training and that upset all my plans”, he revealed.
Despite having a difficult year, Noya feels strong despite her 40 years as the end of her career as a professional triathlete approaches. “I’m still fighting to get back to where I was a year ago right now and be able to compete at a good level. If I had to retire tomorrow I would be very satisfied with what I’ve achieved in my career, but it’s not in my plans”, he assured.
“I still enjoy setting goals, getting up early to train and always looking to give my best version,” he explained with the illusion of someone who is aware that he still has options to achieve great victories.
About his challenge for this 2023 season, he is clear. “My goal is the Ironman World Championship in Nice in September. When I leave professional triathlon, I will continue training to continue enjoying the sport,” said the Olympic runner-up, who is training as a coach to remain linked to his sport.