What does a triathlete's training scope look like?

If the tickets for the Olympic Games in triathlon were awarded today, then Verena Steinhauser would be there in Tokyo like she was in the summer of 2021. But we are right between the games in Japan and Paris in the summer of 2024. A lot can still happen. The best triathlete from Italy, who starts the new season on Friday (start at 12 noon local time, 9 a.m. CET) at the first World Cup race in Abu Dhabi, also knows this.

Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 8 a.m. The 28-year-old from Brixen is working towards this day. It is the day on which the medals are awarded in the women's triathlon in Paris. As the best “Azzurra”, Steinhauser is currently in 12th place in the Olympic rankings. Bianca Seregni is the second-best Italian at 29. Things are looking good for Steinhauser, who has had intensive and injury-free preparation.

How did you spend the time between the last competition at the end of November and the start in Abu Dhabi?

Verena Steinhauser: The last competition in 2022, the World Cup final also in Abu Dhabi, was relatively late. I really didn't do anything for two weeks and recovered. At the beginning of December I started light training again. After that came a long training block in Fuerteventura. We trained there in ideal conditions from January 2th to February 7st. The conditions at the Playitas Resort were ideal. This year there was less rain, but the temperatures were always between 21 and 20 degrees. Perfect. The preparation went great for me. I didn't take a single day off and was never sick. The first rest day was Tuesday this week. I flew with part of the team from Rome to Abu Dhabi. Another part came from Milan. We landed at the airport almost at the same time and met each other there.”

How should you imagine a typical training day in preparation?

The average amount of training in a week is 30 to 32 hours. All 3 disciplines are done almost every day, except on weekends. Thank God swimming is canceled on Sunday. On average, that's 5 hours per day with different focuses. There is no day off. I survived the winter well and was spared from any illnesses.”

<a data-caption="Sechseinhalb Wochen hat sch Verena Steinhauser auf Fuerteventura auf die die neue Saison vorbereitet. Am Freitag geht es in Abu Dhabi für sie los." data-fancybox="inline-150068" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2023/03/sechseinhalb-wochen-hat-sch-verena-steinhauser-auf-fuerteventura-auf-die-die-neue-saison-vorbereitet-am-freitag-geht-es-in-abu-dhabi-fuer-sie-los.jpg"> Verena Steinhauser spent six and a half weeks in Fuerteventura preparing for the new season. They start in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

We are right between the Olympics. Everything is definitely geared towards Paris in 17 months.

In any case, everything is aimed at the Olympics. I didn't have an easy year in 2022, it was a transition phase. I had changed a few things in training; for example, since last year I have had a coach who is exclusively responsible for swimming. Changing something is not easy. Even if it's just small things, you feel it immediately. A big goal is to qualify directly for Paris. To do this I need 2 placements in the top 8 at 2 World Championship competitions over the Olympic distance. I have my first two chances in mid and late May in Yokohama and then in Cagliari. And finally at the World Cup final in Ponte Vedra in Florida at the end of September. I will also be taking part in the test event a year before the Olympics in Paris in August. The start of the World Cup on Friday is a sprint, just like the World Cup stage in July in Hamburg. And I will also be at the European Games in Krakow at the end of June, although they have a different value. And 2 weeks after Abu Dhabi I will also take part in the European Duathlon Championships in Caorle. So that the break from competition until Yokohama is not too long. And it's something different.

So it will be another intense season like 2022, right?

The season is not as packed with competitions as last year. I feel in shape and know that it can be a good season.

The Olympic qualification runs for exactly 2 years until May 24, 2024. You can also qualify for Paris via the Olympic rankings.

That's right, you need a place in the top 30. But then your country gets the starting place. If I make it into the top 8 twice, then I'm nominally guaranteed the starting position.

Who are the fiercest rivals in your own camp?

Internally the competition is smaller than before Tokyo. There are now a lot of very young triathletes taking part. Personally, I don't feel that much pressure. Alice Betto (7th in Tokyo) has become a mother and wants to get back into the game, but it is not known when she will make her comeback. Bianca Seregni is a strong swimmer. Ilaria Zane also wants to fight for a ticket, but she will already be 2024 years old in the summer of 32.

And what do you expect in Abu Dhabi?

To be honest, I haven't given it much thought. It's the first race of the season, you look, how did the preparation go, what can you improve? It's about getting a taste of it. But it's always good to start the year with a good result.

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What does a triathlete's training scope look like?

In an interview with s+, South Tyrol's Iron Lady Verena Steinhauser, who has moved her center of life to Pescara, reveals how she feels, what she expects from this season and what she has changed in this pre-Olympic year.

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