Having stunned the Para Triathlon world with his shock breakout victory at last year’s World Championships, Henry Urand returns to defend his crown this weekend with a determination and desire to prove that his success on the Costa del Sol was no fluke.
Such was the scale of surprise at his performance in Torremolinos that even the man himself admits to having felt like an imposter, scarcely believing what he had accomplished against the biggest and most experienced names in the sport.
Still very much regarded as a newcomer to Para Triathlon, the 23-year-old swept all before him as the PTS category field simply had no answer to a display which has certainly made the world sit up and take notice.
Winning in 2024 lit a fire inside of him that still burns today – a resolve to prove that he is capable of doing it again, that he is no one-Worlds wonder.
Winning wasn’t something I’d thought about
Talking to TRI247 from his apartment in Wollongong, where he is busy preparing for his title defence with the British Triathlon team, he admits: “I never expected to win in Torremolinos, it just wasn’t really something that I’d thought about. I knew it was possible, but if I’m honest, I was kind of enjoying life after the Paris Paralympics, and the Worlds were kind of just next.
“This year, we have tailored the whole season more towards this race. I think to be able to repeat what I achieved last year would mean everything to me. When you go out and win something like a World Championship, I guess there’s almost like a little bit of imposter syndrome for the first time, and I’m not ashamed to say that I definitely felt that.
“I was still relatively new to the sport. No one was looking at me to do what I did, but I think that experience has lit a fire inside of me, because I feel that I now have to show people, and maybe even prove to myself, that it wasn’t a one-off.”
He may have been able to fly under the radar at last year’s championships, but as he prepares for Saturday’s race along the wonderful New South Wales coastline at Wollongong, Australia, Urand is the first to admit things are markedly different now that he is lining up as reigning champion and the current leader in this year’s rankings.
“There are definitely a few more eyes on me than last year. I think maybe last year, there wasn’t that conversation about me at all. And in some ways, that was really, really nice in that I could turn up and no one was really watching or expecting anything from me.
“To some people, it probably seemed like I had come out of nowhere to win the title. Whereas this year, it has definitely felt like all eyes are on me in this category.
“It meant a lot to win it last year, and it’s been everything that I’ve kind of thought about for the last 12 months going into this. Hopefully, I’ve gone some way to already showing that it wasn’t a fluke, in terms of my results this season, and that is really what we have been committed to this year.”
Urand is certainly a more accomplished athlete than he was when he arrived in Torremolinos. He has moved to Los Angeles, spent a great deal of time improving his swimming technique, and even switched to a time-trial bike as he looks to make the incremental improvements that can give him that all-important edge when it comes to race day.
Hang on for dear life in the swim
“Normally, my game plan is to hang on for dear life in the swim and then smash it in the run. And I don’t think that is going to change all that much in all honesty,” he said. “But this year, the swim has been my big focus, and I’d like to think that I’ve come quite a long way and seen an improvement reflected in my performances.
“I’ve also moved over to a time-trial bike as well. I previously didn’t ride one because of my impairment, and also, I had so many other things to worry about in a triathlon that I actually just wanted to focus on executing a good bike ride on something which I felt comfortable with.
“Now I’ve moved over to a time trial bike and have spent so much time working with it that I’m confident that I can attack the course with it and improve on my times.
“I’ve grown so much as an athlete and a person, and I’m proud of how I’ve committed to it. And I’m proud of the relationships that we’ve built as a coaching team. It has definitely been a really good foundation moving over to LA.”
He will line up on Cove Beach at 10.20am Australia time (12.30am UK time) as the No1 ranked athlete in the Para Triathlon World Championship series, and knows that a win will not only guarantee him that treasured second title, but also cement his place as one of the sport’s brightest and impressive young talents.
Got to go and enjoy it
“You slowly start to see your ranking number go up and up and up, and then you are suddenly ranked at No1 and being called up first to the pontoon. It’s a position that I never really expected to be in,” he said. “Someone said to me this week, ‘Aren’t you putting a lot of pressure on yourself?’, and, you know, maybe I am.
“But I think you only feel that pressure when you know that, deep down inside, you haven’t done the work; and I know that I’ve done the work, and the people around me know that I’ve done the work.
“So we’ve just got to go out there and enjoy it. It’s such a great place to be out racing, and we’ve got such a great community and great people around us, life really doesn’t get any better, am I right?”
A win on Saturday, and yes, life may just get that little bit better for Henry Urand.
You can stay up to date on events from the World Triathlon Championships across the World Triathlon channels and tune in to WTCS Wollongong on TriathlonLive.
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