Search
shop

How a meeting in a pub in Bermuda helped Kristian Blummenfelt win Olympic triathlon gold

How a pub in Bermuda set in motion a chain of events that contributed to Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Staff Reporter
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

Three years ago, Kristian Blummenfelt achieved what only a handful of other athletes in the sport have done, after he took home the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

For Blummenfelt and Team Norway, the victory was a culmination of close to a decade of hard work and dedication, which all came to fruition on race day.

However, one aspect of the Norwegians preparation has received little coverage since that day in Tokyo. An aspect which curiously started of all places in a pub in Bermuda.

Advertisement

The Japanese connection

After the Norwegian trio of Casper Stornes, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden swept the podium at WTCS Bermuda in 2018, Norwegian Sports Director Arild Tveiten recalls receiving a message of congratulations from Japanese coach Patrick Kelly.

World Triathlon Bermuda 2018

“Just after WTCS Bermuda I was contacted by Japan’s head coach for the men’s team – Patrick Kelly – who congratulated me on the results. He asked if we could meet that evening for a talk and so that same night I met Patrick and one of their coach Murakami Koji.”

Kenji Nener, who was part of the Japanese squad at the time, remembers how Kelly was eager to understand how Tveiten and his team had achieved their success.

“Patrick really wanted to know how Norway had become such a dominant force in a short period of time. Following that meeting, Patrick’s relationship with Norway initiated an MOU agreement in 2019.”

That memorandum of understanding, says both Tveiten and Nener, permitted the Japanese team to receive invitations to training camps with the Norwegians in exchange for help preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“We never would have got access without the MOU”

For both Japan and Norway, the relationship was a win-win, with Tveiten sharing that without the MOU, the national team’s preparations for the Olympics would have been much harder.

“In July 2018, we had our first of many camps together in Font Romeu, which was a success and we got to know the Japanese team. Over the years we met again in Font Romeu, Thailand and Japan for camps and we got well connected.

“Our pre-camp in Miyazaki before the Olympics was perfect, because we got access to facilities that we never would have without the MOU.

“The Japanese team had some really good athletes who pushed us during our open water swims and brick workouts. When we had our important race prep sessions, organisers from the World Triathlon Cup in Miyazaki came in and arranged a T1 and T2, including racks and blue carpets for these workouts.”

Kristian Blummenfelt Olympic Games Triathlon Tokyo 2020 2021
Photo Credit: Wagner Araujo / World Triathlon

Tveiten, who played a key role in Blummenfelt’s historic gold medal, said that the relationship “really made a difference”, with Nener, who finished 14th in Tokyo, stating that he was indebted to Team Norway thanks to one of triathlon’s unlikeliest of relationships.

Tomos Land
Written by
Tomos Land
Tomos Land is a triathlon & running journalist whose expertise lies in the professional world of short course & long distance triathlon, though he also boasts an extensive knowledge of ultra-running.
Discover more
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
Cadomotus aero triathlon cycling shoes
Can your triathlon cycling shoes make you faster? How shoe choice could speed up your triathlon finish times
French Riviera T100 bike course Esterel
Is this the ultimate middle distance triathlon bike course? We rode the French Riviera T100 bike course and it’s EPIC
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
latest News
Lionel Sanders wins 70.3 St George 2025 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
Triathlon superstar Lionel Sanders says he went to a “dark place” to fuel his latest IRONMAN win
The PTO's CEO Sam Renouf
PTO reveal ambitions of matching Roth and Kona as French Riviera T100 triathlon course details unveiled
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘No No No’ – Sam Long says he felt ROBBED by swim cancellation at ‘69.1 Chattanooga’
IRONMAN World Championship 2024 Nice Age Group Swim Start
IRONMAN to review World Championship slot allocation model after fears raised for Age Group women
Jonny Brownlee / Jonathan Brownlee - Super League Triathlon London 2023
Did the Brownlee brothers nearly join pro cycling’s Team Sky after 2012 Olympic heroics?
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...