The long-awaited return of Javier Gómez Noya: "For months my body was not the same"
Strange times passed for the best Spanish triathlete in history, forced away from what was routine: competing. Now that he returns almost two years later, already 40 years old, to an international event, the IRONMAN 70.3 in Mossel Bay (in which he won this Sunday), Javier Gómez Noya reflects in a telephone conversation from South Africa with ELMUNDO about what it was like a legendary career, the vital experience of fatherhood, the harshness of injuries and the goals of a future that he faces with renewed hope: “I'm looking forward to it.”
Has this time away from the front page been a turning point in your career? It has been a time off forced by circumstances. He was preparing very well for the 2022 Ironman World Championship, in Saint George. Just before traveling to the US I caught Covid and it affected me quite a bit.. It left me quite touched while I had it and the post covid. For several months my body was not the same and I had to take it easy until I fully recovered.. And when I tried to come back seriously I got two injuries in a row that I don't know if they have something to do with the covid or not, but they were strange. Two stress fractures when the training load was not very high. I was chaining one problem after another and I ended up in 2023 without having competed. Now I returned calmly, doing things as best as possible to avoid falling into trouble again. I did two races before in Spain, Santander and Epic Triathlon. To test myself. In Santander it had been a long time since I competed, it was exciting, I was even nervous. I realized that I was fine (I won both), that I still remembered how to do this. This is a good opportunity to measure my level with international competitors. How did you cope mentally? It has been hard. For any athlete, when you have an injury it is complicated on a mental level. When you have two in a row, even more so. And more injuries that take time to recover. Above all, I was sad not to have been able to compete in Saint George in the World Cup, because I had been training for a few good months, I was in a very good moment. Everything went overboard. During this time Olivia was born… It's something great, it has been the positive of these two years of complications at the sporting level. The birth of my daughter 11 months ago was the most important moment of my life. And the truth is that we are enjoying it, regardless of whether he has injuries or not.. It is an incredible experience and also a motivation.
Gómez Noya, during a roller training. MUNDO Do you still learn from injuries? You already have experience and know your body better than when you were 20 years old. What happens is that at 20 years old you get injured less. Based on trial and error, you learn to take care of yourself, to increase the load little by little, to know how to listen to your body, to know how to identify when pain is a nuisance or when it can be worrying.. If this discomfort in the calf can cause a break or if you can cope with it. But, still, if you want to be on a global level, you always put your body at risk. You have to train a lot and it is a major stress. Don't you get tired of pushing your body to the limit? There has to be balance. If you want a long race you can't always be at the limit, because you'll either break down or get sick.. Except for these last two years, I have had a consistent career, years and years of chaining podiums in world championships and that is because I have trained well.. A lot, of course, but also having taken care of myself, having respected rest, the times in which I had to let my body regenerate.. You have to know how to take a break when it's necessary, because we are not machines. Where does your future lie? Right now I am focused on feeling well again and at the moment I am motivated by the medium distance. I adapt well. The PTO (Professional Triathletes Organization) has put a very interesting world circuit on the table, validating the title of world champion with the International Federation. 2024 is going to be a very good year at that distance. I'm going to do these two races, in South Africa and New Zealand in December. And there I will set goals for 2024.
Gómez Noya, before swimming training. MUNDO Will you ever try to get rid of the IRONMAN Hawaii thorn? I don't rule it out, if I'm good at average, I can face any distance. In Hawaii 2018 I would have liked to do better, of course. But there are times when you have to make decisions. Maybe if after the silver medal in London I had focused on long distance I would have had a very good 10-year block and possibly in some Hawaii I would have done well. But it was what I liked and after London I won three more world championships in Olympic distance and I wouldn't change them for anything.. You can't be at everything. Others with worse results passed earlier and triumphed in Ironman. What does your other great passion, music, give you? Well, look, in this time with injuries, music, playing the guitar, hanging out with my bandmates (Liorta) , it has helped me a lot mentally to overcome difficult moments. It's an escape, forgetting a little about the sport. I have been combining it all my life, in that way. And I enjoy. We have given some concerts in some venues in Pontevedra and we had a great time. It's a great outlet. Are there more nerves on stage or on the starting line? It's different. You almost get more nervous than in a competition. But then you realize that you suffer more in a triathlon and you think, 'well, I'm not so bad up here.' And besides, we don't get paid for it, so we don't owe anyone anything. If it doesn't sound good, what are we going to do? After Tokyo, did you have time to take stock of your career? Having a daughter gives you perspective. I look at my career and I think there have been complicated and difficult moments, but in general, if 20 years ago they told me that I was going to achieve everything I had achieved, I would sign it with my eyes closed wherever it went. This trip has been incredible.