Verena Steinhauser and her first “real” Olympics

The Olympic fever is slowly building. Steinhauser is currently training in Ovindoli in Abruzzo, just an hour from the airport in Rome. On Saturday, the other four "Azzurri" and their coaching team will travel to the French capital. "I looked for a place that is below 4 meters, where it cools down in the evening so that you can sleep," says the 1500-year-old. "We didn't want to arrive on the day of the opening ceremony, as it will be hectic in Paris."

Steinhauser is fully focused on the individual race on Wednesday, July 31st (start at 8 a.m.). "Also because the mixed relay is not scheduled until 5 days later. "An unwritten rule says that the 2 fastest women are also used in the relay, but you have to wait for the individual race. A lot can always happen there."

“I am older and more mature” The biggest difference to Tokyo? "First of all, that concerns me personally. I have become much more mature, both physically and mentally. I have been to the Olympics before. It's a great feeling to be there for the second time, but I'm not putting myself under quite as much pressure now. I see it more as a normal race," says Steinhauser.

Steinhauser on the bike.

The triathlete added: "In Tokyo we were isolated from everything. Paris is my first real Olympics. My whole family will be there. My brother will be there live for the first time in my career. I want to prove that I can do well. My parents only saw Tokyo on TV in the middle of the night. That's what makes me most nervous, that everyone is there. But I'm looking forward to it too."

Her trainer is her partner For 5 years, Steinhauser has been living and training in Montesilvano near Pescara in Abruzzo under coach Simone Mantolini, who is also her partner. The 29-year-old is a professional triathlon athlete and is part of the police sports group. "Triathlon means 3 sports at the highest level. You can't have any deficits if you want to compete with the big guys. You have to master 3 disciplines 100 percent and be able to juggle them. I train between 30 and 35 hours a week. That means there's not much time left between training, eating and sleeping," says Steinhauser. “Brixen is home for me, but in South Tyrol the winter is simply too long for me.” Verena Steinhauser The Brixner explains: "It was my decision, and I stand behind it 100 percent. I consider myself lucky that I can lead this life. I usually only have two weeks a year where I do nothing. You're on the go all year round and on the move a lot. In winter you need to be somewhere where you can cycle well, and in summer it can't be too hot for training. We need a swimming pool and, if possible, open water."

Moving to Abruzzo That's why a move from my beloved South Tyrol was unavoidable. "Brixen is home for me, but the winter in South Tyrol is too long, I found a place where I feel comfortable after spending two years in Milan, where I always got sick."

Verena Steinhauser's first coach, Manuela Ianesi, is "to blame" for her becoming a triathlete. "I'm still in close contact with her and I have to say thank you for getting me into this sport. As a child I was an athlete, then I got back problems and had to start swimming. I always enjoyed running, and in Brixen every child rides their bike to school. I really started just for fun."

No good memories of the Olympic track Steinhauser already knows the Olympic course. "The test competition a year ago went very badly. I had a bad swim because there is a lot of current in the Seine. The bike course is completely flat, hardly technical, you feel like you are on a motorway. You can lose the race in the swim but not win it, and you can win it in the run, especially in Paris, where the bike course will not make the difference."

In 2021 in Tokyo, Steinhauser was 20th. "I definitely want to do better in Paris. That's the first goal, I hope for a top-ten finish. I can't say that's doable, but I can't say that it's not doable either."

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Verena Steinhauser and her first “real” Olympics

She was already in Tokyo 3 years ago. She knows the Olympic feeling, at least a little. But Paris is set to top Verena Steinhauser's first rendezvous with the 5 rings.

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