Vicky Holland gets interviewed by TriEurope.....

 Vicky Holland GB´s triathlon Olympic hopeful

Vicky Holland had a breakthrough year in 2010 putting herself firmly on the map as one of the best Olympic distance racers in the country. The 25-year-old from Swansea in South Wales is in with a good shot of making the GB Olympic squad for London 2012 based on her current form. Holland grew up as a swimmer, at a national level, before moving into athletics where she competed as a 1500 metre runner where she won an English Schools gold. After going to Loughborough University she was convinced to give triathlon a shot and hasn’t looked back since. She’s come a long way and continues to improve with each passing year. We caught up with the fast talking and even faster racing Holland to find out more.

Tell us about you sporting past before triathlon?I started swimming aged six so have been paddling around in pools for nearly 20 years. I competed at national level as a backstroke and freestyle swimmer as a teenager. I also started cross-country running at secondary school which led to a love for athletics, particularly the 1500 metres. I ran for England three times and won an English Schools gold in the 1500 metres when I was 18.

How did you get into triathlon?I went to Loughborough University at 18 looking to improve on my swimming and running, and if I’m honest I had little interest in triathlon at that time. I was contacted by British Triathlon and asked if I would consider taking up the sport. I resisted for a while but started dabbling in cycling and six months later. After returning from my first ever triathlon camp to France I was converted.

How did your 2010 season go?2010 was definitely a breakthrough year for me. I still consider myself a developing athlete so whilst my early season results, including 10th at Sydney World Championship Series, were pleasing, I knew there was more to come. In Hamburg I ran about two minutes quicker than ever before and went the whole 10K with the best triathletes in the world. Looking back I was disappointed not to have the kick at the end to finish it off with a podium but fifth was still a watershed moment for me. I backed this up six days later at the London World Champion Series where I had a slightly weaker run, but still pulled off a good result with sixth place. Then I had a few illness issues before coming good in the Grand Final with sixth place again. Once again I didn’t have the kick to get on the podium but proved my ability to run with most of the best girls in the sport. Hopefully 2011 will bring podium results for me.

Plans for 2011?My plans for this year revolve hugely around Olympic selection and that means racing on the World Championship Series circuit. I will also do some French Grand Prix races for my new team Charleville. I love racing in France. It’s sprint distance team style racing and I find it a fun interlude to the more pressure fuelled races we do.

Is your training building towards the Olympics with a hope of making the team?Definitely. The Olympics is the big aim but with the UK being such a strong nation even solid results again this year won’t guarantee me a slot. We have to look at this year first and try to book my place, and then we can turn our attention 100 per cent to August 2012.

What are you doing to get ready for this?Just trying to make every day count, being as consistent as possible and staying injury free and healthy.

Are you doing anything differently?We went to Kenya at the end of 2010 to observe and experience the lifestyle of the best runners in the world. One of the things we have done since is to make some changes to my running. Hopefully this will gain another couple of per cent in this area.

How many hours do you need to train?I train around 25 hours per week but this varies depending on what the particular focus of each week is. For example with a more cycling orientated block of training the weekly hours go up compared to a running block.

What would it mean to you to make it to the Olympics?Going to the Olympics would fulfil a lifelong dream and to make the team for a home Olympics would be totally incredible. Obviously, I don’t want to just qualify, I want to turn up in Hyde Par, in the best possible shape and get a great result for myself and Great Britain too. First things first, I have to book my place.

Who are your main competitors from the UK trying to make the team?I consider it both a positive for the UK and a challenge to myself that there are a lot of us who could potentially qualify. There are almost too many to mention. I can think of at least eight but top of the list would have to be the British number one and world number four Helen Jenkins.

What does Vicky Holland do to relax away from triathlon?Talk. I rarely stop! I also do a lot of sleeping, reading and occasionally go on a shopping spree.

Published: May 19th 2011 12:04 PM UTC by TriEurope