There could be no better way for GB pro triathlete Kat Mathews to make her comeback. In her own words, the Army physio is determined to "stick two fingers up" to what happened in Texas in September - by returning to the Lone Star State in May to try and qualify for the Big Island once more.
Matthews' bike crash in Montgomery County, blindsided by a motorist who turned directly across her path, was life-threatening. That she'd finished second in the Ironman World Championship in Utah in May, and was in the final throes of training for her Hawaii debut, was inconsequential. Messages from the triathlon world poured in, just wanting her to be okay.
Thankfully, as she flies past in the Derby Velodrome, barely breaking sweat when generating Ironman power, she's looking more than okay. This might not be the Kat Matthews Version 2022 who stopped an iron-distance clock in 7:31:54 in Germany in June, but with a few battle scars notwithstanding, she's heading in that direction.
"My favourite word at the moment is turbulent," Matthews says. Having interviewed the 32-year-old several times, I've learnt she chooses her words carefully. But this one has stuck.
"A lot of turbulent emotions this last 12 hours," was also the start of an Instagram post from her hospital bed in Texas after initially having fractures of the skull, sternum and two vertebrae diagnosed.
"Everybody knows that the journey from injury to fitness is not linear, but I think that with trauma there are so many hidden issues that don't come to light straight away," she continues. "For example, I recently found out I also fractured my hip and rib, [only discovered when the scans were reviewed by a military radiologist], but I'll give myself credit for clearly being intuitive with recovery. You also don't know the extent of the soft tissue damage and with a skull, neck and back injury there are hundreds of ligaments doing many different things."
Denne historien er fra Spring 2023-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.
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Denne historien er fra Spring 2023-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
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British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing
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£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank
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With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment
GAMES AT THE GAMES
After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...
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With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...
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Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"
