Lotte Vandekerckhove wins the Nepean Triathlon in Sydney: “Still work to do”

Lotte Vandekerckhove of Avelgem recently won the Nepean Triathlon in Sydney, Australia. The multiple Belgian duathlon and triathlon champion is ambitious for the future.

“There wasn’t much competition at the Nepean Triathlon (1km swim, 30km bike and 10km run). I was not at all in condition to win a match at the top, “relivizes Lotte. “But it was really good to win my first race in Australia. It was also Australia’s oldest triathlon and the surroundings were beautiful.

“I’m still planning to do a few 2XU Series races in Melbourne. Those meets are next level so I’ll be focusing on them more. I’ll also be starting a few sea swims. Those shorter swim races may help me improve my open water skills. Finally, I also decided to stay two weeks longer than planned as I will be competing in two Oceania Triathlon Cups in New Zealand. These are the elite competitions at the highest level in Oceania.

“I arrived in Sydney on September 1. I’m here as an exchange student, which means that KU Leuven has an agreement with the University of New South Wales which allows students to do part of their studies abroad. It is now my third bachelor year in Kortrijk and in September 2023 I will go to Leuven for my master’s degree in psychology. I wanted something more than Erasmus, the program in Europe, and after a whole application process, I finally got the chance to go to Sydney. I wouldn’t have done it if I couldn’t combine my workouts, so I came across Dani Andres, a trainer in Sydney. He introduced me to the Schofield family, with whom I currently live.

“Luke and Jayden Schofield are up-and-coming triathletes themselves in Australia and I met them this summer when they competed on the European competitive circuit. group research and we become familiar with the practice of psychology I can follow many lectures and assignments online, which I do because it saves me time and I can devote more energy to training, rest and discover a little Sydney.

“A great anecdote is that I trained quietly for the first few weeks and was able to attend the world cycling championship in Wollongong. I stayed with a super hospitable Belgian family, watched Belgians win medals, and climbed Mount Kiera myself and swam in rock pools. What an experience,” beams Lotte.

To break

“When I return, I will first take a little break. Then I focus on the summer season in Belgium. The focus will again be on the T3 series, the BKs and the participation in international competitions. That would be good also to be able to compete with a foreign club as in the French Grand Prix.

In the meantime, I will finish my last semester in Kortrijk and then look for accommodation in Leuven since I will finish my master’s there. To be able to combine my studies well with triathlon, I often take a little less credits and I also have a high-level athlete status to be able to postpone exams if necessary.

“The great thing about triathlon is that there are always areas you can improve on. Specifically, I want to improve my open water skills, optimize the swimming-cycling transition and continue to test my limits at every competition and during intense training sessions. You can also train mentally, so above all I would like to be in my matches with even more confidence and strength. Finally, my days are often very full and it is important to to continue to enjoy and sometimes to be a little more relaxed in the whole adventure. I am very lucky with my parents, my friend Volkwin, the training team and the coaches, a lot of good friends, my family and certainly my 3MD club and sponsors too! This framework is incredibly valuable and it continues to make me grow every day as an athlete and as a person. Thanks to the team!”

“It was my first year as an U23 so I didn’t know what to expect. I always aim for places of honor with the BKs, so a title with the U23s is very good. But I’m also proud of the fact that I can improve a little every year at all ages. After this season, I especially notice that there is still a lot of work to be done. Luckily, otherwise the process might not be so exciting. (Laughs)

“I started triathlon at the age of eight. My parents are very athletic themselves and wanted me to learn to swim front crawl. Before that, I did dance and omnisports for a while, but none of that took long. At this young age, you only start with walking and swimming. The bicycle was not added until the end of primary school. All these years I combined triathlon with chiro and guitar lessons, but in high school I started with more hours of training and it got a little more “serious”. I now train about 20 hours a week. But I still enjoy doing it immensely. The variation in the sport and a passionate team (ATP) also guarantee this.

(EL)