British star makes Olympic burnout admission ahead of London showpiece
Kate Waugh has banished post-Olympic burnout and is ready to be crowned the best of the Brits at the London T100 Triathlon this weekend.
The 26-year-old from Gateshead laid down a marker with the biggest ever margin of victory on her debut at the distance in Singapore.
She has now settled comfortably into the T100 level, having prioritised a fresh feeling after making her Games debut in Paris.
'It was really important for me to try something new,' Waugh said. 'I think a lot of people post-Olympics feel a bit burnt out because it is a lot.
'It is a race that comes around every four years, and there is a lot that goes into it, emotionally, mentally, physically.
'After my off-season, I asked my manager whether he thought I could get a T100 contract, and when one came through, I just really wanted to take that opportunity and jump on the T100 train.
'I have been watching it for a few years now and really admire the women in particular who race the T100, I just see them as such strong athletes, so I really wanted to get involved with it. It has been really positive and really refreshing to try something new.'
T100 sees athletes complete a 2km swim, 80km bike and 18k run, with London the fourth stop on a nine-leg tour around the world.
Waugh currently sits third in the standings as she followed up her win in Asia with third place in San Francisco.
She believes she has experienced two very different races, with Singapore going perfectly while having to grind out a result in California.
In London, she leads a British pack of nine women set to compete, with three-time Olympic medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown making her debut at the distance.
No Brit has yet topped the podium in the capital, with Kat Matthews coming closest as she finished third in 2024.
Waugh added: 'There are so many of us who are super strong over that distance.
'It is pretty cool that we have such a strong contingent from Great Britain, obviously, I want to be the first one across the line.
'I hope the couple of races that I have done can give me that upper hand over newbies, like Georgia, at this distance.
'I would imagine she is going to be really strong as well. She is a very well-rounded athlete.
'And then there is Lucy Charles-Barclay, Lucy Byram, and India Lee, who are all really strong athletes, so I am sure everyone is pretty motivated to compete well, which hopefully makes for a really exciting race.'
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