ABU DHABI // More than anyone Javier Gomez Noya knows it is the long race that counts. Gomez has overcome enough obstacles to become the world’s top male triathlete. He has been competing long enough to know that a sixth-place finish in the World Triathlon Series (WTS) opener in the capital this weekend is not the end of the world.
Gomez, the world’s top-ranked athlete and a four-time WTS winner, including last year, was never in the hunt in Saturday’s Ipic World Triathlon Abu Dhabi, finishing 40 seconds behind winner and countryman Mario Mola.
But as a season-opener race, and particularly because of the disrupted nature of his recent preparation, Gomez was content with his performance.
“I’m quite satisfied with the finish, with all the problems I had in the last two weeks,” he said after the race. “I got flu two weeks ago and it kept me in bed for some days. Then I raced a middle distance race last week and had a problem with my glute.
“So even though the off-season preparation was good, these last couple of weeks a few things went wrong. I didn’t expect to be very fast here. I was better than expected but I have a lot to improve. It’s a long year, so it’s a good result.”
The glute came through on Saturday and though the next stop in the WTS is Auckland, much of the focus this year and next will be on preparing for a likely last tilt at the Olympics. An Olympic gold is the one title missing in an otherwise glittering career. He was among the pre-race favourites in Beijing and London but ended with just a silver medal in 2012.
Also, he was controversially overlooked by his own federation for the 2004 Athens Games. Rio next year, when he will be 33, looms large.
“The first goal of the year is to make sure I qualify for the Olympics,” he said. “Obviously the WTS is important too, and I will try to fight for my fifth title. But it’s very tough and it’s not the main goal. The Olympic qualifying is more important and next year my aim is to try to have a great Olympic race.”
He will have to overcome a number of challenges once he gets to Rio, not least Mola and the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonathan. Gomez is a mentor to Mola and the world champion can foresee the younger competitor on the podium in Rio.
“Of course he can be Olympic champion, or at least finish on the podium,” Gomez said.
“There will be a few guys there with chances and Mario will definitely be one of them.
“The Olympic distance is a little longer, so it is a different race with a longer swim. That way it is probably better for someone like the Brownlee brothers and guys like me. But if you start running with Mario you know he is the probably the guy to beat.”
[ osamiuddin@thenational.ae ]
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