Legends of Triathlon: Nicola Spirig – Making the impossible possible!
Nicola Spirig boasts one of the finest career records in international triathlon and will now take part in her fifth Olympic Games in Toyko representing her country Switzerland. At the tender age of 39, the two-time Olympic medallist has conquered the world of Triathlon. Her career speaks for itself, and her legend continues to be added to with each new year in the sport.
Fierce competitor, loving mother, gold-winning Olympian, perpetual overcomer, unapologetically defiant, this Swiss sports woman is many things, but to us mere mortals she defies the law of physics and makes the impossible possible.
From sprint to Iron-distance events, this living legend knows how to win titles and Spirig is showing no signs of slowing down as she once again emerged as European Champion in triathlon with an impressive and dominate win at last week-ends 2021 European Triathlon Middle Distance Championship at Challenge Walchsee in Austria.
As a wife and mother of three children balancing a non-stop training schedule of three training session a day over three disciplines require the ultimate mind-set. Spririg knows how to prepare and focus for the big occasion. Her mind-set is as sharp and focused as her physical attributes and is key to her victorious performances and ongoing success.
In the beginning…
Born in the canton of Zurich to two PE teachers, Spirig took part in her first triathlon at the age of 10, though it was in track and field that she excelled in her teenage years, winning the national junior 5,000m title and taking part in the European Cross-Country Championships in her age group.
A European and world junior duathlon (running and cycling) champion in 1999 and 2000 respectively, the Swiss won the junior world triathlon crown in Edmonton in 2001. Spirig made her Olympic debut at Athens 2004, where she finished 19th. A bronze medallist at the 2007 European Championships, she came in sixth in her second Olympics in Beijing the following year.
Ongoing journey to success…
In the 13 years from 1998 to 2010, Spirig took part in 72 ITU competitions and achieved 39 top ten positions. In 2010, she won the European Championships and the World Championship Series triathlon in Madrid, and the silver medal at the World Championship Series triathlon in London. In the overall World Championship Series ranking she placed second.
The Ultimate Reward…
In 2012, Nicola Spirig reached the highest accolade in triathlon when she won a gold medal at the London Olympic Games in a race probably immortalised for her part in the ‘million to one odds’ of an Olympic women’s triathlon race ending in a photo finish.
Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig won the women’s triathlon at the 2012 Summer London Olympics in a nail-biting all-out sprint to the finish, fulfilling her burning ambition of an Olympic medal at the third attempt.
Spirig out-sprinting Sweden’s Lisa Norden and beating her in a photo finish so close that both celebrated, each thinking they had won. Officially they crossed the finish line at the exact same time — 1:59:48.00 — this resulted in Olympic triathlon’s first ever photo finish for Olympic Gold.
Spirig was awarded the gold medal with the judges who examined the photographic evidence saying Spirig’s winning margin was less than 15 centimetres. Even though the two athletes recorded the same time as they crossed the finish line, the finish-line cameras showed Spirig’s torso crossed the line first and so she was declared the winner.
Top of the Class
Voted Swiss sportswoman of the year for 2012, Spirig won a fourth European title in 2014 then secured triathlon gold at the inaugural European Games in Baku in June 2015, a year in which she also took her tally of European titles to five in Geneva.
Long Distance Calling
Spirig’s career has largely focussed on the Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) but has been littered with half distance races and she took the win on her debut over the full distance triathlon in 2014.
Spirig won her first half distance triathlon in 2007, and from 11 races she has never finished off the podium with 11 wins, 3 seconds and a third which include being a seven-time Half-Iron distance champion and at her first attempt at the full distance, she won Ironman Cozumel, one of hottest and toughest Ironman races in the world.
Spirig added to this tally this year winning 2021 Challenge Gran Canaria 70.3
Battle of the Olympic Run
Prior to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio. Spirig had a baby, explored long-course triathlon and marathon racing and suffered a bike crash that left three plates and 23 screws in her hand. But this was not going to stop Spirig bringing her ‘A’ game to the Olympic distance race.
This was to be an Olympic race of the reigning gold medalist versus gold medal favourite USA’s Gwen Jorgensen who had dominated the ITU circuit over the last two years.
And what a display they put on with a back-and-forth dynamic that lasted nearly two hours with everything coming down to the final few miles of the Olympic run to the finish line. Spirig used every trick in the book, baiting her rival at every opportunity to gain an advantage but it was Jorgensen’s renowned running prowess that won her through to Olympic Gold with Spirig coming home to take Sliver.
Tokyo – What’s the odds.
Making it too the Tokyo Olympics is an outstanding accomplishment but for Spirig to make her fifth Olympic appearance in the biggest event in the sporting calendar defies all the odds.
Now at some point over this summer’s Tokyo Games you’ll probably find yourself sipping beer, elbow deep in popcorn, shouting “I could do that” at the television.
Let’s put that call into perspective.
There are approximately 11,000 athletes in the Toyko Games and 339 gold medals are to be awarded. With approximately 6.675 billion people in the world, the odds of being an Olympic athlete are 662,000 to 1, but to win a gold is an astounding 22 million to 1. This means you have more chance of being canonised a ‘Saint’ by the Pope at 20 million to one. In fact, even your chances of becoming an astronaut aren’t that “infinite and beyond’ at odds of 1 in 12 million although outrageously unlikely.
To put it bluntly the odds of winning a gold medal at the Olympics are significantly higher than the meagre and outlandish 80/1-on Kim Kardashian becoming the President of the United States of America.
Now take into account that Nicolo Spirig is the only female triathlete to have won two Olympic medals: taking gold in a tight race at London 2012 and a hard-fought silver at Rio 2016. And now this stalwart of Triathlon is heading to her 5th Olympics – 3 kids later – seeking to win a third Olympic medal.
Get the picture!
Nicolo Spirig Olympics Table spanning 17 years
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
| 2021-07-27 | Summer Olympics | Tokyo Japan | TBC |
| 2016-08-20 | Summer Olympics | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Silver Medal |
| 2012-08-04 | Summer Olympics | London, United Kingdom | Gold Medal |
| 2008-08-18 | Summer Olympics | Beijing, China | 6th place |
| 2004-08-25 | Summer Olympics | Athens, Greece | 19th place |
If Spirig does not medal at Tokyo, what matter, she has achieved all she needs to in sport, she has lived her dream, but don’t rule it out – the podium is still empty. Nonetheless, what does matter is she will have her husband and three children cheering her on at the finishing line no matter what the outcome – that is Gold within itself.
Beyond Tokyo
Following Tokyo what’s next for Nicola Spirig. Well retirement is not on the agenda as never one to turn down a challenge Spirig intends to take on a landmark sporting challenge under the Pho3nix Foundation project. In Spring 2022 she will be pushing the limits of human performance in attempting to smash the current female time for the iron distance triathlon (3.8km Swim/180km Bike/42km Run) in under 8 hours. Both she and Lucy Charles-Barclay will be endeavour to beat the current women’s record by 18 minutes and 18 seconds held by Chrissie Wellington (8:18:13).
True Ambassador of the sport
If all the above has not left you in awe of this ‘Superfrau’ then let’s round it off with Nicola Spirig’s passion for organising sporting events for children. As part of the Pho3nix Foundation’s commitment to supporting kids through sport, the Pho3nix Kids Triathlon by Nicola Spirig has been launched. – Events across Switzerland are delivering healthy, active sporting experiences for kids of all ages which you can find out more about here www.nicolaspirig-kidscup.ch
Hall of Fame Beckons!
While all professional athletes exhibit extraordinary skill and physical ability, some of them rise above their peers, wowing spectators and athletes alike, not only with their talent but also their determination and fortitude. Nicola Spirig is such an athlete, an inspiration to all triathletes, inspired by her tenacity, dedication, discipline, hard work, and success.
From Olympic to Iron-distance events, Nicola Spirig knows how to win titles and can rightly claim to be one of the greatest women endurance athletes of all time. There is no question that she has earned her place within the dynastic order of Triathlon and it can only be a matter time before her legacy will honoured in World Triathlons Hall of Fame.
