After starting the series as a wildcard, Youri Keulen is now sitting second overall and is thriving on the T100 World Triathlon Tour.
The Dutchman is continuing to prove himself as a strong contender on the tour around the world this year, especially through his victory in Singapore.
The 26-year-old now hopes to draw on this success as he heads into the fourth race of the tour in London this weekend.
“I 100% hope I can draw on that success for London,” he said. “Without a question, it gives you such a confidence boost.
“I’ve done it once, so I know now how to do it. It was amazing and I’m still super proud of what I did and how we did it.
“Five minutes after the Singapore race I didn’t feel so good, but a couple of hours after the race, I was on top of the world!
“I will be the Singapore T100 winner for the rest of my career.
“But Sunday is a different race and I want to focus on that. I’m super proud of what I did and happy I can come and race here with the best in the world.”
Because Keulen is a wildcard, he knows the pressure is on to keep proving himself.
“I have to keep going,” he added. “I don’t have a contract so I don’t know if this will be my last race, so I have to perform every single race.
“But I really like that pressure that I have to perform and take everything out of myself on race day to keep getting into the series.
“I never expected that I would be second in the series now, but on the other hand if you don’t dream big you are holding yourself in a little cage.
“It’s a dream come true but it’s our reality now and we have to take as much out of it as possible.”
The T100 Triathlon World Tour 2024 features 40 contracted athletes competing in eight events around the world in a 100km triathlon distance.
London is the fourth event, with Miami, Singapore and San Francisco completed and Ibiza, Las Vegas, Dubai, and a Grand Final in the Middle East still to come.
“It’s extremely cool to have a ticket around the world,” Keulen added. “That’s how I like to describe it. We’ve been to Miami, Singapore, San Fran, London and so many more to come.
“It is a very good time to be a triathlete, a very good time to be a pro triathlete and an amazing time to be a pro triathlete who is in the best 20 in the world.
“I really do appreciate the T100 series. In our sport it’s not very common to always race the strongest guys at every race. To be able to do it eight times a year is amazing.
“It’s amazing for me to put myself out there and try and beat all the guys and have them try to beat me. It’s an amazing competition and I’m happy I can be part of it.”
The first London T100 Triathlon weekend on 27-28 July is entirely free for spectators and includes a dedicated T100 Watch Party venue at the ExCel London Exhibition Centre for the very first time. Where fans will be able to see the world’s best triathletes come past at least 10 times during the 100km race format (2km swim, 80km run, 18 km swim). As well as being able to follow them live, out on the course, thanks to a big screen.
Image: Reuters via Beat Media Group subscription
