Idol coach advice changed everything for Blummenfelt

Watch the Triathlon World Cup – live from Bergen – on TV 2 and TV 2 play Sunday from 2 pm

On his way out of the auditorium after swimming practice this morning at the Ado Arena in Bergen, Christian Blumenfelt stopped at a platform in the lobby.

It’s the awards treasury of the late Alexander Del Owen.

Bend over and look at the many awards from major international tournaments. And take a second look at the photo placed on the bottom shelf, next to the Olympic silver medal.

In the photo, the swimming icon shows his medal while holding his coach.

A man Blumenfelt knows well, too.

– I think he was the first to see that I have no future as a swimmer, says the racing athlete with a smile.

limited swimmer

Before Blumenfelt knew he had a knack for cycling and running, he was an avid swimmer at Vestkantsvømmerne.

He dreamed of becoming like fellow clubmate Alexander Del Owen, and trained hard and to such an extent that as a young man he got the coaching experience with a role model.

And coach Stig Leganger Hansen.

– I remember Christian as a committed young woman ready to train, we struggled to make her exhausted, says the swimming coach, and continues:

– But we saw that he has swimming restrictions.

He was very stiff in the shoulder area, and struggled with technique.

Young Blumenfelt could swim for a long time without getting tired, but he couldn’t swim that fast.

So Leganger Hansen advised him to try another sport.

good advice

He had a specific sport in mind. During running training between swimming sessions, Blummenfelt excelled.

The student was a good swimmer, but he was a good runner. And he never got tired. Maybe triathlon was a thing for him?

– I remember him telling me I should try a triathlon or something longer. He signed me up for a race, and since then it has started going downhill, Blumenfelt says.

I can’t find space for love: – He’s had a bad conscience all day long

In this context, “press yourself” means Olympic gold, a World Cup title and a world record.

– It was good advice. The triathlon says I probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve something similar in swimming.

will not take credit

But although Leganger-Hansen is proud of planting an important seed in Blummenfelt, he doesn’t want to take too much credit for the fact that his former swimming student is now the best athlete in the world.

– He probably found it anyway. Leganger Hansen says he is very interested in the sport and has a supportive family around him.

– How is he seeing him today?

– It’s super fun. I wish him all that he achieved. Even then, I saw he was kind of going the extra mile, and he developed that ability further, says Leganger Hansen.

Swimming is still the weakest sport in the triathlon in Blumenfelt.

– Could he become a good swimmer too?

– Yes, but I don’t think he would have become an Olympic champion. So he made a good choice, says Leganger Hansen.

Homeland competition

In the Ado Arena, the swimming hall named after Alexander Dale Oen, Blummenfelt also earned its rightful place.

Pictures of the athlete adorn the walls and posters to ensure his achievements are never forgotten.

There are already many of them. So much so that he could easily fill his glass box in the hallway.

But there was still one medal missing from the group, which he could win on Sunday.

Then Blummenfelt will compete against the world’s elite on home soil for the first time.

– It will be a lot of fun. Blumenfelt says it’s something I’ve dreamed about for many years.

The Bergen Triathlon is shown on TV 2 from 14.00 Sunday.

World Cup, Bergen.
Sunday at 2 pm

TV 2 play