"Just make sure you are here next week” - How to win an Olympic Gold medal with Jess Learmonth

Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast

Since starting the podcast in 2017, I've been fortunate to speak with quite a few Olympic Gold medallists. It’s even more fun when you have known them since before that victory and observed their progress. Today’s guest is Leeds-based triathlete, Jess Learmonth. I've known Jess for quite sometime, and I'm so pleased to be chatting with her today! About 8 or 9 years ago she started swimming with our Masters group at the Survival Saturday session. 2 hours of pain overseen by our enthusiastic coach, Alan Hutchinson. Jess went right into the top lane and then carried on. As you’ll hear in the show she was getting back into the pool after a 6 year absence. She’d started to dabble in triathlon and, because of the huge engine she built as a younger swimmer, she progressed very quickly. It wasn't long before she was selected for British Triathlon funding and a pathway through to the elite squad. Arguably the strongest swimmer in the sport, Jess often emerged first from the water, and as one of the best cyclists, she then set the tone on the bike, hammering away at the front. As you’ll hear, running was a struggle for Jess. The ‘floppy ankles & feet’ required to be a good swimmer definitely do not help with running. In the conversation there’s a great message from Jess’ run coach Malcolm Brown about the value of consistency in training. Please listen out for that one. Jess and I also chat about:

• The brutality of swimming squads for young athletes and why it “drained the life" out of Jess
• Why triathlon swimming seems so easy in comparison
• Having patience and building resilience
• Floppy ankles and not being a natural runner
• The hot, surreal experience of winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021
• Pregnancy, motherhood and why there are more important things in life than triathlon

To find out more about Jess you can go to: Website - JessLearmonth.com Instagram - JessLearmonth Jess recommended the book Scientific Training for Triathletes by Phil Skiba Jess is a keen Leeds United fan and loves this podcast Square Ball: The Leeds United Podcast

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