It started with a win and it ended with a win.
Selina Klamt opened her account for the year by taking the gold medal at the European Cup in Caorle. A little over four months later, she signed off with another victory, this time at the World U23 Championships in Pontevedra.
In between, she added another European Cup win, the European U23 title, a silver medal at the German Championships and made her WTCS debut. On virtually every level, then, Klamt’s season can only be described as a resounding success.
“I think, throughout the season, every race gave me more and more confidence,” said Klamt.
Such was her form, aside from her WTCS debut she did not finish out of the top-5 at any of her (individual) international events. With such a positive build-up, she arrived in Pontevedra among the favourites to take the title.
“Of course, I noticed that I was in good shape, as my previous competitions showed me,” said Klamt. “Nevertheless, every race is different and something can always happen. Getting 1st place was simply overwhelming.”
Even with the uncertainty that championship racing can bring about, Klamt was in imperious form in Pontevedra. She was the fastest swimmer of the day and led the initial front pack. Having been in contention for the win at several races already in the year, her sprint finish had also been fine-tuned and helped her beat Maria Tomé to the gold.
What stood out most, though, was her maturity.
When Jessica Fullagar broke away early on in the bike, Klamt remained composed in the chase. Her patience was soon rewarded as Cathia Schär and Tanja Neubert rode up to the leaders and helped to reel in Fullagar. Then, on the run, Klamt withstood attacks from Schär, Tomé and more until unleashing her finishing kick.
At no point did she appear ruffled by what was happening around her. Indeed, she raced in the manner of an athlete that had grown accustomed to fighting for wins.
Klamt pointed to her training as the primary driver behind her being able to consistently compete for medals in 2023. In addition to that, she also identified her environment as playing an important role.
“My parents and my boyfriend always try their best and as often as possible to support me with training and come to competitions to make everything easier for me.”
That support network has proven a major asset. It also corresponds with what her compatriot Laura Lindemann said of her own set-up. For many elite athletes, the group around them can be as influential as the actions they take themselves.
With consistency in training and her home life, Klamt has been able to soar to new levels in 2023. Her form in 2022 was certainly impressive, as three European Cup medals and a 4th place at the World U23 Championships could attest.
This year, though, she has made a clear step forward as she claimed her first international wins. Furthermore, Klamt’s season has been marked by other personal bests.
“I think my best race after Pontevedra was the World Cup in Karlovy Vary,” said Klamt. “I was super happy with my 5th place, as it was also my best World Cup result so far.”
To go with that, she made her WTCS debut in Hamburg. Racing in front of a home crowd, she came away with 29th place which stood as the second best female WTCS debut of 2023 (after Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto’s 10th place in Montreal).
“Being able to make my WTCS debut in Hamburg was a huge honour for me. Hamburg is known as having one of the biggest atmospheres and it didn’t disappoint.”
When it came to the racing itself, Klamt was in for a surprise in Hamburg.
“The first heat was a mental shock for me,” she said. “I knew it was a different format and I knew it would be a different level but I was initially quite overwhelmed by the severity.”
She missed out on automatic qualification to the final and so had to race again in the repechage. Fortunately, a conversation with her coach after the heat renewed her confidence – “he rebuilt me,” said Klamt – and she managed to make the final at the second attempt.
“I think the performance level is just a clear difference. I can only speak about Hamburg because that was my only WTCS race so far, but I just found that everything went much faster. It might sound a bit strange but that’s how I would describe it.”
After such a successful 2023, it would be only natural for Klamt to turn her attention to the next rung on the triathlon career ladder in 2024. At this point, World Cup medals and high WTCS finishes are what’s next given her current success, both of which are daunting targets.
Klamt, though, remains quietly confident.
“I think my greatest reserves lie in cycling and if I place more emphasis on that and continue to improve everything else from time to time, I hope that at some point it will be enough for a WTCS top 10.”
Such is Germany’s strength in depth right now, with six women in the top-30 of the Olympic qualification rankings, it might even be a challenge for the World U23 champion to get onto some WTCS and even World Cup start lists.
When the opporunity comes, then, Klamt will likely have to seize it with both hands.
Based on everything she has done so far, though, Klamt is certainly an athlete that can be expected to take her chances. After a year of first wins, personal bests and incredible consistency, look for more of the same from her when the new season rolls around.
