PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE

With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment

- TIM HEMING

Three years ago, amid a second lockdown and strict Covid measures, I interviewed a young Portuguese triathlete at poolside in the London Aquatics Centre. Vasco Vilaça had just taken part in the Super League Arena Games and further burnished his growing reputation. Here was an athlete who had grown up in Lisbon, trained out of Sweden, and was now living in Spain as he attempted to forge a career for himself in the sport.

Vilaça had been a surprise runnerup in the one-race world champs in Hamburg, 2020. So, when I asked him about heading to Tokyo, I was expecting eager anticipation.

Instead, it was resignation. His country would pick the Joaos, Silva and Periera - solid athletes but both on the downswing in their careers.

They would finish 23rd and 27th, respectively.

I saw Vilaça again in the mixed zone in Paris - the corridor beyond the finish line where journalists line up to interview triathletes. In the biggest race of his career, he had finished fifth. A superb performance, particularly because scars from a bike pile-up in Yokohama in May were still visible.