Gómez Noya: "Going to the Ironman World Cup would be a lottery"

   MADRID, 4 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The triathlete Javier Gómez Noya confirmed this Thursday that the great objective for the second half of the 2022 season will be the Half Ironman World Championship, at the end of October, after ruling out the Ironman World Championship in Kona (Hawaii), since it would be " risky" and "a bit of a lottery", having suffered from COVID-19 just a few months ago.

"My goal was Kona and that is complicated by the qualifying period, it would be risky to try to compete to qualify, it would be a bit of a lottery. I wouldn't have time to prepare Kona with guarantees. My goal will be the Half Ironman World Cup at the end of October" , pointed out Gómez Noya in a meeting with the media organized by Banco Santander in Madrid.

In addition, the Galician valued participating in "other interesting tests" such as the Dallas test of the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) and "other more comfortable and low-profile races at the national level." "I do not rule out ending an Ironman in November. My goal was Kona but I have been forced to change my goals," he insisted.

"It has been a complicated year, with many ups and downs. I had COVID in May, the day before traveling to St. George, it was complicated and left me with sequelae that took me a long time to recover. I have had to train more gently, but now it seems that it is already everything in its place," said the five-time world champion about the first half of the season, marked by the contagion of coronavirus in May, one day before competing in the Utah World Cup.

The disease came at the worst time for the triathlete. "What made me the most angry about the coronavirus is that it gave me time to prepare very well for the Ironman World Cup and that work was not reflected, but it is time to move on," confessed Gómez Noya.

"It's hard, it's frustrating. But it was more so when the recovery, because it wasn't as quick or as easy as I would have liked. After such a hard block of training, I think he caught me with the lowest defenses, maybe that's why he baited me more than necessary", added the ferrolano.

The four-time European champion and silver medalist at the London Games in 2012 does not believe that 2022 is a "lost year". "If I finish with an important victory in the Half Ironman World Championship it will have been a great year. Kona's goal is not realistic right now. The season can still be saved, depending on how the competitions turn out," he predicted.

"Until now I couldn't plan the calendar very well, now it seems that I could. I am motivated to continue improving myself. COVID has been one more obstacle, there are always things that are not so good. I did not focus on complaining and bad luck, You just have to focus on solving things, I have been calm and patient not to put my health at risk," he said about his physical and mental recovery.

Thus, the Spanish triathlete stated that, although the frustration seems at first, the important thing is "to have a cool head" and "know how to find solutions to a complicated situation" such as the one experienced with his coronavirus infection.

Gómez Noya stressed that the Olympic distance is "parked". "Realistically, I still feel like an athlete, I don't like to fight for the Games if I'm not one hundred percent convinced. I want to focus all my efforts on long distance," he commented, before assuring that "he only signs victory" in the World Cup. Half Ironman.

"You always have to go to the maximum, then see what happens. It is a race that I have won twice, but the level is very high, it is where there is more, but the aspirations are maximum. You have to have the illusion of fighting for win, and focus on getting there as well as possible", added the triathlete.

Finally, he addressed the topic of motivation after such a long and successful career. "It is difficult to maintain the same enthusiasm when you have been there for so many years, but you have to find ways. If I retire I would continue playing sports and maintaining a lifestyle. Sometimes it is easy to reach the starting pontoon and not have that bug, it seems one more day at the office. In my case, going long distance meant renewal to keep that desire," he admitted.

"I would like to continue linked to the world of sport, I have options from the International Federation, but I have not stopped to think about that change too much. Sometimes when I perform better the more competitions I have, the competition gives you confidence, it helps you improve and draw conclusions," he concluded about a future withdrawal.