We sat down with Nicolò Strada to talk about his training, his recent success in the Super League, and how young athletes can approach triathlon.
Nicolò Strada is a triathlete born in 2000 in Riccione, Italy and he is the fresh winner of the Super League Triathlon Finals in London in 2023. He is one of the most promising young triathletes at the Italian and global levels, with strong results in the U23 competitions.
Let's start from the basics. How are your workouts going lately?
The training is going very well, it seems to be a quite positive period although always with some difficulties, those are never lacking. I'm working in the right direction and, slowly, I'm noticing the improvements. This is also thanks to the team of technicians that are following me (federal and personal technicians).
Looking back at the path you've taken from when you first completed your first activity to now, what have you learned in this process and what would you tell the old you?
I have been doing sports since I was 4/5 years old, the things I have learned are countless, but you know sports is a school of life. One thing I still struggle to do is to live everything with more lightheartedness, which doesn't mean superficiality in doing things but living them a little more serenely, always maintaining the awareness that it takes to get to the top. One thing I would definitely say to my boy is this: Nico, you are strong, believe in yourself more because you are good, don't be afraid, and have fun.
Nico, you are strong, believe in yourself more because you are good, don't be afraid, and have fun.
What advice do you feel you would give to an amateur athlete who wants to approach triathlon, in the weekly rotation of the 3 sports?
Balancing personal, family, work, and sports commitments is the most important thing. I would recommend finding a good coach, one who has already achieved results with other athletes, not someone who can just tell you about it. Then, work out a way to fit everything together without going crazy with him. Consistency and patience are the most important things for me if I want to approach this sport.
You recently achieved an incredible result in the Super League Triathlon, edging out very strong athletes like Gustav Iden. What feelings did you have in a race that winks at the ESports world, and what changes did you make to your typical week of training?
As I have always said, these races have little to do with 'classic' triathlon but they are something fun and something I enjoy. Winning is as difficult as in any other race, a dud doesn't even get to the front in esports. No changes to the weekly schedule since these are not the races I am preparing.
Tying in with the Super League theme, do you think this type of event can catch on and be exported to more countries, perhaps even to continue activities during the winter period, or will it remain an event in itself without becoming a truly international competition circuit?
The superleague guys are smart, so they will always try to come up with something cool. I think this format will catch on more and more as time goes on, although there are improvements to be made in the reliability of the electronic equipment, treadmill, and moped specifically.
BONUS: The world of triathlon in Italy is constantly expanding even though the average age of participants remains very high. What would you say to a young person to introduce him or her to the sport?
There are a lot of kids who run, swim, or bike who maybe get bored of just doing one sport and a triathlon could be the solution. The advice is to find a group to share workouts with and have fun with, which is not always possible. This is key and the base where you should start from. After starting from this, I would say that a guy who can do at least one of the three sports with a lot of commitment could become someone in triathlon, there are a lot of possibilities.
This interview has been edited.
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