After taking the biggest win of his career at the Singapore T100 in April, Dutch professional triathlete Youri Keulen has struggled for form in both of his last two races.
This past weekend, Keulen finished 14th at IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland, with a performance that he described as “all I could manage”, just three weeks after a DNF at IRONMAN 70.3 Mallorca.
In Singapore, Keulen was hospitalized after pushing himself to the limits, and said on social media that he is still dealing with the aftermath as he attempts to recover for the rest of the season.
“Extremely disappointed, but that’s life”
In a race that was won by PTO World #52 Leonard Arnold in 3:26:53, Keulen struggled immensely on the run, completing the half marathon almost 12 minutes slower than the winner to finish in 3:40:05.
On Instagram post-race, the Dutch pro said that he felt deflated with the result, with his race performance really going downhill over the second half of the run.
“P14 yesterday at Ironman 70.3 Switzerland, finishing 14th was all I could manage. My race went quite okay-ish until 8k into the run.
“My body started to cramp up, and I had difficulty taking in nutrition. Extremely disappointed, but that’s life.”
“The past four races have been intense”
Reflecting on the first part of his season, which started with a fourth place finish at the Miami T100 before his victory in Singapore, Keulen said the last three months has involved a steep learning curve.
“The past four races have been intense. To be honest, really intense. After specific prep for Miami, we went straight into the block towards Singapore.
“We all know what happened there and how I finished the race. My body took a hit, both mentally and physically. I really had to get used to the positives and negatives that come with it.
“Together with my team, I’ve tried to maintain my training structure. We have built everything around meetings, appointments, and visits from partners, parents, and media.
“It just takes longer than we expected to recover, and that’s fine. I’m inexperienced when it comes to all of this, and I learn something new every day.
“I want to thank my team and everyone involved for this first part of the season. It’s been all we hoped for and more, but now it’s time to actually start building again, and we have time for that.”
Time to recharge
Having opted not to race at the San Francisco T100, which is being held in California this weekend, Keulen will instead take some time away from the sport, before gearing up for his next race.
“For now, I really need a week of non-triathlon activities. I just landed in Barcelona, and I will take a plane tonight to Ireland to spend a lovely week or so with my beloved @imogencotter.”
Having stated his ambition to compete at the London T100, given the close proximity to the venue to his base and home, it looks likely that we will not see the PTO World #7 race until the end of July.
When he returns to the race course, he will likely no longer lead the T100 Triathlon World Tour, but will still be seen as one of the main contenders for the title at the end of the season.
Hopefully, with enough time to recover and recuperate, triathlon fans will once again get to witness the 25-year-old’s exciting style of racing as he competes against the best of the world.
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