https://www.instagram.com/p/DDPpmEtPTI6/?igsh=MTljbGd5N2RueTZoZQ==
Let the speculation commence
There’s a scientist and businessman and then there is a coach. We saw the slow digression happening. We saw and heard KB’s dissatisfaction in programming in the 2 years leading into the olympics. We saw that KB and GI moving away from the intense structure of being away on camps all the time. KB and GI’s biggest two years were the first two years when their fitness was still there from the Arild days then the decisions happening from Bu started to show.
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Two athletes fail to replicate past successes, decide to try a new approach in search for future success.
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It doesn’t have to be ugly, I don’t expect it to be.
They’ll still remain friends, as Olaf has often publicly spoke about them as of a second family.
They’ll also remain business partners on multiple investments, but someone else will be programming Norwegians’ training. Olaf has the cycling team to focus on now.
Blu or Bu?
They’ve always seen their success as coming from a lifetime consistent approach to training and racing, absolutely not a “we found this coach and tried this” attitude.
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There’s a strong history of athletes doing great on YouTube with similar story lines.
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Blu has repeatedly said the training was wrong going into the Olympics
He has now said the training going into Kona was wrong
IMO He has lost faith in Olaf’s coaching
And of course Olaf will be focusing on coaching the pro bike team
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Can you summarise his comments?
I haven’t tuned in to anything where he talks about what was wrong
He said multiple times after the Olympics that in hindsight he thinks they were doing too much “70.3-like” training. Not enough short intensity, which to me means he felt he didn’t have the legs needed to run a very fast 10k off the bike.
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You can find his comments on wrong training for Olympics and Kona on his Rich Roll interview
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I always thought the moment he won gold and basically went straight to LC was what ruined basically forever his chance to come back “down” to SC and win. It was a given to me that he was never truly going to factor in Paris, especially with that course where it was going to be a run shut out. So I always thought it made less sense to actually come back (especially for Iden). But I get it, the ITU circuit is the best racing on the planet for 2x something’s, who the hell wouldn’t want to be a part of that. There’s a real ecosystem of athletes at WTCS race weeks where it’s truly everyone sorta comes together training all the time at the pool or track at these events that doesn’t really happen at other events (I guess T100 is probaly closest to that now). (and the after parties have always been legendary among the athletes).
Of course winning gold basically gives you the “freedom” to free agent yourself for pretty much anything you want to do for the rest of your career. I sorta thought it was a given Blu wasn’t going to medal at Paris, again the “norwegian method” wanted everyone to throw out specialization, but more times than not…give me the athletes who train up the for specific of events vs the athlete changing their racing distances basically with the seasons…I should say atleast they seemingly gave it a better “chance” at success with going what a full year of “SC” racing/training only than imo an athlete like Knibb, who I thought was clear she was much more non-draft focused (again why not, she’s basically undefeated at that distance). But again I also think venues play into that decision, and a course like Paris for Knibb to medal on, was only 1 pathway- her in a break. And so in Blu’s pathway how was he going to outrun all those guys with all that “volume” on the body the past 3 years.
And I’m not saying any of those decisions were wrong. Again I think winning gold basically gives an athlete free reign to make those race decisions and/or sell the “norwegian method” as the best thing ever in the sport.
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Olav has always given me the Wizard of Oz/snakeoil salesman vibes. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wan’t Arild Tveiten the coach who built up the Norwegian team and Olav came later on as a consultant?
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Bu, sorry.
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So will they stick together and find a coach that will take them both on or will they each go their separate ways? Will Gustav go with his brother? *pink Maybe this will be the grand start to Lionel’s coaching career? /pink
Was it actually confirmed he won’t be coaching them? As of a couple weeks ago on the Santara podcast they said he’d still be coaching them. I haven’t fully listened to the Olav episode yet though. If they do split wonder if they stay partnered on Santara.
I’m surprised it took so long for someone to mention Lionel!
However, they do have a great opportunity to troll the entire triathlon world together…
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I think it’s also a matter of age. No one has been able to win Olympic gold older than 27 yo. (someone correct me if I am wrong). The high intensity of SC racing is logically more suitable for athletes in their twenties. Blu could have definitely done better at SC if he would haven’t gone long after Tokyo.
Happy to be wrong, but Blu is beating dead horse aiming for LA. His best racing days are likely behind him, but he can still win everything he wants in Ironman racing.
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Will Blu even be in the sport at the top level of even IM by the year 2028? I don’t say that as a knock…the dude looks cooked with all the training all the “training camps”, having every thing you do “monitored”. The “monk” style lifestyle can only robot train an person for so long right?
If that dude came out tomorrow said, F this I’m retiring…I’d be like good for that dude, he doesn’t need to do anything else in the sport. But of course he’s only 30 years old, the next chapter can be hella scary for some people. But looking from 30k pov they need a “factory reset” seemingly if they want to continue to be great at this sport.
It just seemed like post Tokyo and that what 1 year of “dominance” in both SC + IM, that like they (or their camp / coach) wanted to “prove” that they are so superior in coaching/training intelligence seemingly. But again when you win the big races, that kinda gives you that freedom, so probaly not unexpected really.
Multiple women (I won’t offend you by naming obvious recent examples), and among the men Ali Brownlee was 28 in Rio and Hamish Carter was 33 in Athens (though the sport was then 2 decades younger than it is now).
So there is a tendency for men to each their peak ability to win Olympic gold in short course before the age of 30, but that could be simply because of the sponsorship opportunities awaiting them in long course. Also the sample is obviously tiny.
Women have been less likely to go long quickly, probably on account of those opportunities being nowhere near those that men get. Actually now that you’ve made me curious and I’ve checked, no woman younger than 27 has ever won Olympic gold, and only two out of the 7 champions were below the age of 30 (Snowsill in 2008 and Beaugrand this year - both 27).
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