Triathlon legend Sebastian Kienle lines up for his final professional race on German soil at Challenge Roth this Sunday, with the former champion sharing he is as excited as ever.
Currently on his “Discontinued” tour, in his final season as a professional, Kienle has struggled through a rollercoaster patch of racing, with a DNF at Challenge St Polten following a drafting penalty followed up with a win at the Zarauzko Triathlon a fortnight ago.
Now, racing for the fourth time at Roth in Bavaria, Kienle intends to savour the emotions and energy that the home atmosphere will bring on race day.
“I have all kinds of feelings and emotions”
Summarising his thoughts and feelings heading into such a special weekend of racing, Kienle underlined how important it was that he raced hard but also found time to enjoy the event.
“I have all kinds of feelings and emotions this week. Sometimes as an athlete, the feelings can fade a bit at races that excited you in the past.
“But back here I can feel my heart beating that bit faster – and that is exactly why I picked this race for my last race in Germany.
“This final season has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster with the process of saying goodbye to such a long career.
“It’s all about not having any regrets”
Having never finished off the podium in his three previous races at Challenge Roth, there will still be a lot expected of Kienle this weekend. However, the German shared that he has no plans in terms of where he finishes, but just hopes to get the most out of himself on the day.
“I have no plans of how I’m going to enter this race in terms of emotion and result – it’s all about not having any regrets when you cross the finish line.
“It’s about savouring the emotions and taking everything in. There’s a saying that you have to get out of your comfort zone to enjoy your comfort zone.
“You have to reach your limit to surpass your limit – and the energy and euphoria that brings is incredible.
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