Gustav Iden will in all likelihood not race the Paris Olympics, but on the other hand, everything is being done for him to win gold at the Ironman World Championships on Kona at the end of this year. For Kristian Blummenfelt everything is being done to prolong his Olympic title in Paris, and if we are to believe Olav Aleksander Bu, the coach of both top athletes, Blummenfelt really is on route and stronger than ever.
Belgian journalists from 3athlon.be had the chance for an exclusive interview with Bu and, of course, they grabbed it with both hands. The Norwegian success coach talked freely about Iden’s and Blummenfelt’s training approach at altitude. He firmly believes in another Olympic title for Blummenfelt, but as for Iden, he is holding back a little more. “He will do an Ironman in the spring or summer at the latest to qualify for the World Championships. The focus is entirely on Kona.”
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Overall, Bu is extremely pleased with the past period and looks forward to the upcoming season with great confidence. “Kristian is on route for the Olympics. Gustav is making good progress in terms of his recovery. We are fully aiming for Kona and title prolongation for Gustav. With the races he missed and also the qualifying points he is short of, the chances of him making it to Paris are extremely slim. To still have a very small chance, he has to do a lot of races and hope other people drop out so he can get to the start line at all. And then he has to finish podium, because otherwise he won’t be eligible to start the races after that either. And not racing automatically means no spot for the Olympics.”
So for Blummenfelt, it’s completely different. “For him, the goal is only Paris and nothing will disturb that goal.” Bu does find it a shame that the WTCS Abu Dhabi was recently canceled. “Kristian was in a very good shape and for us it would have been good to see how he really stood up to the competition, in a high-level race. For me as a coach, it’s an extra motivation to see what it takes to do the so-so impossible and to return to the Olympic Distance after performing at the Long Distance level. And not only returning to that distance, but also going for gold in Paris.”
