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Sunday is a big day for Jan van Berkel (37). The Swiss triathlete contests his last competition as a top athlete with the Ironman in Thun.
He again has big plans for the 3.8 km swim, 180.2 km bike and 42.2 km run: “I want to ensure that the winner deserves the title with my performance. And I would take it myself.” Then a varied career comes to an end. For Blick he looks back on the most impressive experiences. The best of.
My greatest victory
“That was in Zurich in 2018. I got my first Ironman win. The wedding was a week later (he married former figure skater Sarah Meier, editor’s note). Emotionally, this week couldn’t be beaten.”
My toughest match
“Certainly the Ironman Hawaii last year. 30 minutes before the start I suffered from a lumbago. I wondered if I should even start it at all. But I really wanted it, also as a tribute to the game and the island of Hawaii. You can feel the spirit and spirits of the island. Then I hung out for nine hours. It hurt excruciatingly, but I realized there will be no damage in the long run. Two weeks later, the pain was 100 percent gone.”
The craziest swimming experience
“It was another time in Hawaii when a fin broke not even a foot in front of me. I couldn’t tell at first if it was a shark or a dolphin. Of course my heart rate was 200. Then two dolphins just swam up to me. They just wanted see what was going on. Suddenly I was in a whole family of dolphins. For the first time I really realized how bad we humans swim. The dolphins are completely different: one movement of the fin and the animal was gone.”
The most special competition country
«Panama in 2014. In the morning I wanted to cycle to the start. I came into an area where you shouldn’t go. When I asked police officers where the triathlon was, they replied that it was a red zone. ‘Bang, bang’ they said for emphasis. Then they escorted me to the launch site.”
The biggest laugh in a race
“In general I smile a lot during a race, maybe more inwardly. But it turned out differently. Namely when Ronnie Schildknecht and I led the Ironman Switzerland in 2015. My sister-in-law stood by the track and cheered me on. “You look great,” she said. Ronnie said, “And me?” We burst out laughing. The thought of actually being a competitor quickly disappeared after running 20 kilometers.”
The best bite tip
“Dedicate every mile to someone who got you started. If you have problems from the very beginning, that’s 226 people. I could name so many.”
My best friend in the field
“It’s actually a woman: Daniela Ryf. In triathlon we’re like kindergarten colleagues. Maybe because we’re not direct competitors. I always knew she’d be the best one day, even as a junior.”
The moment with the most guardian angels
“At the very end of my career, I was challenged again. It was in Val Mara this spring on a steep bike descent when the disc brakes gave out and I had to choose between crashing into the guardrail or crashing into a rock face. By bike you make a delicate journey, as we saw at the Tour de Suisse. It could have happened to me too. I got away with a scratch, but with a broken bike and a broken helmet. There are now carbon slivers and skid marks from my guardian angels.”
My best family moment
“It was recently after running training when I got home. I was climbing the stairs when my son Tim (3) asked: ‘Dad, did the training go well?’ That overwhelmed me because my wife used to ask that and now my son has noticed it’s probably an important question.”
The best thing I could leave behind in the triathlon
“In November 2018, a woman came to me at the airport. She said her son saw me cycling at Ironman Switzerland at Heartbreak Hill in Kilchberg ZH. The boy later wanted to become a triathlete himself. It’s the inspiration for others that makes me happy.”
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
