Amid the recent rise of German triathlon, there has been one constant throughout. Laura Lindemann has been at the heart of the team for over seven years.
It therefore seemed fitting that she was the first triathlete to book their spot on the German Olympic team by claiming the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Test Event. However, her race was very nearly over for her, and half the field, in the first discipline.
“We swam a bit strangely on the way back because we took the wrong tunnel,” said Lindemann. “I saw that we weren’t going through the tunnel I expected but I thought ‘everyone is going through it, I don’t think we’ll all get disqualified’.”
In the end the alternative swim route yielded no penalties. As Lindemann noted, the officials could not disqualify everyone. Across the board, her feedback on the course was glowing.
“The swim was special because of the current and the bike course was very fast. It’s special to have it in the centre of Paris with all the sights. We don’t really them in the race but after you see the pictures and it’s cool.”
Lindemann’s bronze medal has seen her qualify for a third Olympic Games. She was only 20 years old when she raced in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Tokyo came five years later when she was a more established presence on the world stage.
“In the end its just a triathlon and everything you do is the same as usual,” said Lindemann of what she took away from her previous Games. “But its still different because the Olympics are so big. It’s everything around the Games.”
“In Tokyo, I had a really good swim and I was dying on the bike and then I was dying even more on the run. In that race I was telling myself that I was dying and that it was so hard but I think I learned that everyone is hurting. I feel like I was talking myself down in the race because I was hurting so much.”
The mental shift regarding the pain of the race was evident in the Test Event in both in the individual and relay events. In the former, even as Beth Potter and Cassandre Beaugrand broke clear from the lead group on the run, leaving Lindemann to battle with Emma Lombardi and fend off a charging Taylor Knibb, the German athlete had the wherewithal to compose herself and earn a place on the podium.
Later on, in the Mixed Team Relay, Lindemann had another tight finish as she saw off Beth Potter to earn gold for the German team.
The late switch of the format into a duathlon created a challenge before the race had even gotten underway.
“My last duathlon was ages ago and I only did one when I was very little and had just started with triathlon. I didn’t know what to expect and I was a bit worried with how to handle the first run. If I go into a normal triathlon relay, I feel like I know how hard to go on the swim. But on the first run I was worried I would go too fast.”
In the end, Lindemann started her leg in a group and was able to work with the athletes around her on the first run and the bike. Then, on the second run, Lindemann and Potter reeled in Lombardi before settling the gold.
“I was worried she (Potter) would leave me somewhere on the run but that didn’t happen. I didn’t expect to win when I started so I was very happy about that.”
Lindemann had classically led off for the German relay until the switch in format saw female athletes occupy the second and fourth legs. Since then, she has become lethal on the anchor leg. Prior to Paris, she brought the German team home to win at the World Mixed Team Relay Championships in Hamburg with a solo final leg.
“I think I am a team athlete so the relay brings more out of me. I want to be good in every race but in relay I know there’s a team behind me which pushes me more.”
Hamburg also saw Lindemann win a bronze medal in the individual event, the fifth WTCS medal of her career. Until the Test Event, all of her world level medals had come in her home country.
“I don’t really know why (all her medals had come in Hamburg). Maybe it was a coincidence. But maybe because I am sometimes better prepared for Hamburg because I know it is very important for us Germans. I perform better under pressure as well. For example, in Yokohama I’ve never really had a very good race. It’s the start of the season, I’m less well-prepared and there’s less pressure. So maybe that’s why I performed well in Paris too because it was a race with a lot of pressure.”
One factor that may have contributed to her first medal outside of Hamburg was a coaching switch. Having previously trained under Ron Schmidt in Potsdam, Lindemann made the change to Dan Lorang. Of note, Lorang is also coach of Fred Funk, the silver medallist from the World Ironman 70.3 Championships. Her fellow Olympic qualifier, Nina Eim, is still with Schmidt.
“I was always trained by Ron and I felt like he’s a good coach and I had so many good races with him as my coach but that maybe I needed something else or a new input to get more out of me.”
The changes have been structural rather than qualitative, with shifts in the set-up of her team as opposed to her training.
“It’s more like a team because I also have a swim coach. My environment was professional before but this feels more like I’m at the centre of the team and the team is doing everything for me to make it perfect.”
Looking ahead, Lindemann will finish her season at WTCS Pontevedra. Having sealed her Olympic place, the pressure will be off. After her successful summer, though, it would be wise to expect a final big result to wrap up her 2023 season.
