enero 15, 2024
In Pursuit of Paris by Anu Francis
My name’s Anu and I’m an elite para triathlete from Adelaide, currently ranked World #2 after three months racing in Europe chasing qualification for the 2024 Paralympics, which saw me win the Paris Paralympic Test Event. Believe it or not, three years ago I couldn’t swim. Missing out on the Tokyo Paralympics in rowing by the smallest of margins against athletes significantly less impaired than myself, I talent-transferred into triathlon. Growing up I loved running and
was competitive until my early teens, when my degenerative disabilities began to make me fall behind my peers. Not receiving the diagnoses of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Dopa-Responsive Dystonia (a one-in-a-million neurological condition) until my 20s, I barely ran again until I began triathlon, and only taught myself to ride a bike for the first time since childhood in the 6 months prior to my talent-transfer as cross-training for rowing during lockdown. And when I say I couldn’t swim, I mean on day 1 of triathlon training when my coach asked me to swim 25m freestyle to show him where we were starting from, my apologetic smile indicated that we would be starting from the very, very beginning. So, you’re probably wondering how I got from zero swim ability to placing 2nd in a full field at World Championships in just three years and perhaps if I have any tips that could help you reach your swimming goals? Read on and we shall
see!
1. Find your team
My biggest tip for improving all aspects of your triathlon performance (and enjoyment of the sport!) is to find your team. For me, this has been my coach and club. After around a month of 1:1 coaching in the pool learning how not to sink, my coach invited me along to his club’s swim squad. I truly believe this was the ‘secret’ to my rapid swim progression. The friendly competition of the squad environment made the sessions fly by and kept me motivated and
consistent with my training. Before I knew it, I had built up from 500m to 3km sessions and could keep up with athletes who had been swimming for years. Swimming is incredibly technique-focussed and is the discipline I found the toughest both physically and mentally, and my progress certainly hasn’t been linear, with technique changes sometimes requiring you to take a step backward to then be able to move two steps forward. Having established a great
team around me, I’ve had the confidence to trust in the process and ride out the peaks and troughs, knowing I’m not in it alone. Not only does having a team help you reach your goals faster, it also makes training and racing so much more enjoyable and is a great way to build friendships (with people who are as crazy about triathlon as you!). Becoming a part of my triathlon club has hands down been the best part of my triathlon career, and I can truly say that I wouldn’t be the athlete or the person I am today if it weren’t for them.
2. Open water swim regularly
We all know that open water swimming is a very different beast to pool swimming, so get out there and practise it as much as possible. Practise siting, turning, drafting, and swimming with and against currents so that come race day you’re comfortable in the water and can handle whatever race day throws at you with less stress. Find a group, or at least a buddy, to swim with. Not only will this make open water swimming safer and more enjoyable, it will also hold you accountable to consistently getting out there and building that form and mental strength, even when the weather makes you want to stay in bed (remember, it may be like that on race day!). My final tip here is to find (and practise in) a wetsuit that not only improves your swim speed and keeps you warm, but that feels comfortable and is quick to get off in T1. There’s no point in having a fast wetsuit if it begins to hinder your swim half way through the race because it’s restricting your shoulders, or if it takes ages to get off in transition. Finding the right wetsuit can be difficult, but once you find the right one it’ll be so worth it (and worth every cent too!). One of the best ways to find the right wetsuit is to speak to other athletes and even ask if you can try their suits. I’m always more than happy for people to try my Fjord 2.0 because it’s been such a game-changer in reducing my swim times and increasing my confidence and enjoyment of open water swimming this season.
3. Only compare you to you
My first triathlon was at National Championships in 2021, around 4 months after day 1 of swimming. Having only swam 750m once in the pool, my goal for the swim was purely to finish it, which I knew would be a real mental game. Whilst I now stand on the start line knowing that I am indeed capable of swimming 750m, the swim is still my weakest leg. At World Championships in September, I recorded the fastest bike and run times in my classification and finished second, just 22s behind the multiple time world champion, who is a two-time
Paralympic medallist and current World #1. What this result doesn’t tell you is that I was second to last out of the water and two minutes behind the swim leader. Instead of comparing myself to that lead swimmer and feeling down about myself, I celebrated my fastest swim to date and all the work my team and I had put into halving that deficit from 4 minutes at the start of last season. Learning to swim is a long-term goal that doesn’t happen overnight, so I’ve been
working on shifting my perspective on my swim deficit from a negative to a positive. Instead of being frustrated that I’m not the fastest swimmer, I look back at where I started on day 1, right at the very, very beginning, and am filled with pride at how far I’ve come, and excitement for what’s still to come. Everyone’s journey in triathlon is unique. We all have different starting points, goals, and capacities. The only person you should compare yourself to, is yourself. Come
race day, trust that you’ve done the work and are ready. Trust and follow your plan, talk positively to yourself, and make sure to celebrate your progress and achievements throughout.
Anu Francis is an AUS Para Triathlete. She won the Paris Paralympic Test Event and came second at the World Championships in 2023.
was competitive until my early teens, when my degenerative disabilities began to make me fall behind my peers. Not receiving the diagnoses of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Dopa-Responsive Dystonia (a one-in-a-million neurological condition) until my 20s, I barely ran again until I began triathlon, and only taught myself to ride a bike for the first time since childhood in the 6 months prior to my talent-transfer as cross-training for rowing during lockdown. And when I say I couldn’t swim, I mean on day 1 of triathlon training when my coach asked me to swim 25m freestyle to show him where we were starting from, my apologetic smile indicated that we would be starting from the very, very beginning. So, you’re probably wondering how I got from zero swim ability to placing 2nd in a full field at World Championships in just three years and perhaps if I have any tips that could help you reach your swimming goals? Read on and we shall
see!
1. Find your team
My biggest tip for improving all aspects of your triathlon performance (and enjoyment of the sport!) is to find your team. For me, this has been my coach and club. After around a month of 1:1 coaching in the pool learning how not to sink, my coach invited me along to his club’s swim squad. I truly believe this was the ‘secret’ to my rapid swim progression. The friendly competition of the squad environment made the sessions fly by and kept me motivated and
consistent with my training. Before I knew it, I had built up from 500m to 3km sessions and could keep up with athletes who had been swimming for years. Swimming is incredibly technique-focussed and is the discipline I found the toughest both physically and mentally, and my progress certainly hasn’t been linear, with technique changes sometimes requiring you to take a step backward to then be able to move two steps forward. Having established a great
team around me, I’ve had the confidence to trust in the process and ride out the peaks and troughs, knowing I’m not in it alone. Not only does having a team help you reach your goals faster, it also makes training and racing so much more enjoyable and is a great way to build friendships (with people who are as crazy about triathlon as you!). Becoming a part of my triathlon club has hands down been the best part of my triathlon career, and I can truly say that I wouldn’t be the athlete or the person I am today if it weren’t for them.
2. Open water swim regularly
We all know that open water swimming is a very different beast to pool swimming, so get out there and practise it as much as possible. Practise siting, turning, drafting, and swimming with and against currents so that come race day you’re comfortable in the water and can handle whatever race day throws at you with less stress. Find a group, or at least a buddy, to swim with. Not only will this make open water swimming safer and more enjoyable, it will also hold you accountable to consistently getting out there and building that form and mental strength, even when the weather makes you want to stay in bed (remember, it may be like that on race day!). My final tip here is to find (and practise in) a wetsuit that not only improves your swim speed and keeps you warm, but that feels comfortable and is quick to get off in T1. There’s no point in having a fast wetsuit if it begins to hinder your swim half way through the race because it’s restricting your shoulders, or if it takes ages to get off in transition. Finding the right wetsuit can be difficult, but once you find the right one it’ll be so worth it (and worth every cent too!). One of the best ways to find the right wetsuit is to speak to other athletes and even ask if you can try their suits. I’m always more than happy for people to try my Fjord 2.0 because it’s been such a game-changer in reducing my swim times and increasing my confidence and enjoyment of open water swimming this season.
3. Only compare you to you
My first triathlon was at National Championships in 2021, around 4 months after day 1 of swimming. Having only swam 750m once in the pool, my goal for the swim was purely to finish it, which I knew would be a real mental game. Whilst I now stand on the start line knowing that I am indeed capable of swimming 750m, the swim is still my weakest leg. At World Championships in September, I recorded the fastest bike and run times in my classification and finished second, just 22s behind the multiple time world champion, who is a two-time
Paralympic medallist and current World #1. What this result doesn’t tell you is that I was second to last out of the water and two minutes behind the swim leader. Instead of comparing myself to that lead swimmer and feeling down about myself, I celebrated my fastest swim to date and all the work my team and I had put into halving that deficit from 4 minutes at the start of last season. Learning to swim is a long-term goal that doesn’t happen overnight, so I’ve been
working on shifting my perspective on my swim deficit from a negative to a positive. Instead of being frustrated that I’m not the fastest swimmer, I look back at where I started on day 1, right at the very, very beginning, and am filled with pride at how far I’ve come, and excitement for what’s still to come. Everyone’s journey in triathlon is unique. We all have different starting points, goals, and capacities. The only person you should compare yourself to, is yourself. Come
race day, trust that you’ve done the work and are ready. Trust and follow your plan, talk positively to yourself, and make sure to celebrate your progress and achievements throughout.