A month ago, Daniela Ryf not only won Challenge Roth, but also recorded the fastest time ever on a Long Distance: 8:08:21. In doing so, she broke Chrissie Wellington’s former record. Wellington herself was present in Roth and saw it all happen. She experienced the day as inspiring and emotional. And now Wellington has joined the “Talking Triathlon” podcast to talk about this historical moment. You can listen to the full episode here.
TRI247 wrote an article about it as well. You’ll find the article here. Wellington: “It was such a privilege to be able to be there and witness such an incredible performance. I know Daniela and I know we use the term ‘greatest of all time’ quite a bit, but I really believe that it’s applicable to her.
“She’s such a phenomenal athlete, incredibly versatile, strong across all three disciplines, physically incredibly talented, mentally strong, strategically savvy, technically astute. She’s to me the whole package.
“So to be able to be there and to see her and perform to what I believe is her best was a real privilege. It was an honour to be able to hold the world record for 12 years – I’m really proud to have done so. But sport is dynamic and you compete to the very very best of your ability. I competed to the best of mine and I was able to break the world record then.
“But sport evolves and you hope that you can in some ways be part of a process that see other athletes grow and develop and aspire to be more than you were. And if I’ve played a small part in enabling Daniela to kind of exceed her own limits and achieve more than maybe she could ever have imagined, then I’m really pleased and proud.”
