Georgia Taylor Brown is the most decorated female triathlete of all time. She won a gold medal in the mixed relay and a silver medal in the individual at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. In the Paris Olympics 2024 she won a bronze medal with Team GB in the Mixed Relay and finished 6th in the Individual triathlon. Georgia followed up on her success with a second-place finish at the first Supertri fixture in Boston. The 2024 Supertri season continues to Chicago on the 25th of August, followed by London on the 8th of September. Once the event finishes in London, the championship series continues to Toulouse on the 6th of October and finishes in Neom on the 3rd of November to crown the men’s and women’s Team League Champions for 2024. I had the pleasure of discussing Georgia’s experiences during the Olympics, her future events for Supertri, and her thoughts on how to overcome challenges and keep up motivation in sports.

We started by discussing Georgia’s experience at the Paris Olympics and how it differed from Tokyo. Georgia said: “I guess the biggest difference between Tokyo and Paris was the fact that we had crowds, but I think I didn’t really think about it at the time because it was sort of normal then because we’d had a year or so of COVID then. The crowds in Paris were amazing. For me, not having the race that I wanted (in the individual) meant that having my loved ones there definitely carried me through to the finish line.”

While reflecting on Tokyo, Georgia described her experience of suffering a mid-race puncture during the bike leg. I asked Georgia how she managed to overcome this challenge: ”In the race, I didn't really think about it too much. I didn't have time to be honest because I had to make a decision very quickly. I had maybe 2 kilometres to go, so I had to think fairly fast. I think I spent a split second looking at the wheel station and deciding whether I would have enough time to stop and change the wheel. I decided that I would lose so much time doing that, so then I relaxed and thought about the rest of the race and how I would get to the transition area. In a straight line, it is easy enough to ride with a puncture, but around corners, it becomes a bit more dangerous, so I did have to think about that a bit more. I didn’t panic because there was nothing I could do about it at that point, so there was no point in panicking. I always say control the controllables because that is all you can do, and there is no point in worrying about what is outside of your control.”

It was clear to me that Georgia had the mindset of a champion. I asked her how she manages to keep up motivation in sports during training and at competitions, especially after experiencing the setbacks of her recent injuries. Georgia explained: “I think you have to go back to times when you’ve had really good races and remember the feelings that you had during those races, crossing those finish lines, and all those emotions that come flooding in. For me, you kind of crave that feeling. It is quite an addictive feeling to win and do well and to keep wanting to do that because it feels so good. I remember now the feeling I had of crossing the finishing line in Tokyo for the individual, but then also for the relay when we won as a team. When I look at pictures from the finish line now, I just think about how incredible that feeling was and all those emotions I experienced. I wish I could put it in a bottle and just let everyone have a taste of it and what it is like. It is such an incredible feeling when all of the hard work you have put in has actually paid off.”

Georgia continued to reflect on her experiences of races that have not gone to plan, and how she deals with those challenges: “I am probably scared of the times when I have not had good races because those feelings are horrible because you question everything and you think to yourself, “Why do I even bother doing this?” because you’ve sacrificed all of that time and energy on training. For me, that is how it felt after the individual in Paris because I’d been training so well — the best I had trained in my career — and I felt so strong, so fast, and so happy. So I think motivation comes from all of those feelings at the finish line when you do have a good race. The motivation comes from all of those feelings at the finish line when you do have a good race. I think you want to experience those feelings again. I also just want to get the best out of my body as well. I want to be able to challenge myself to see how far my body can go and what it is capable of.”

We then discussed the balance of wanting to push your body to achieve your goals as a sportsperson and the need to look after your body. I asked Georgia how she manages to keep this balance: “ It is something that you learn over time. I have had so many injuries during my career. I couldn’t even name all of them because there have been so many, but I think for me I’ve learnt the hard way through getting injured because then you know how far you can push your body and when you need to back off and you understand your body a bit more. There are times when you know you can push on and times when you know you can’t. I think through injury, unfortunately, I’ve understood my body a lot more. I think you need to be honest with yourself as well. There are some days when you’re lacking motivation and you’re really struggling, and then you want to make up excuses as to why you can’t do the session, but in the back of your mind, you know that you can do the session, and it's fine; you're just being a bit mardy that day, and you need to just crack on. There are also times when you don’t feel right and should have the day off. So there’s no simple answer to that question because everyone is different. I am 30 years old now, and I've been doing triathlons since I was 16 years old, even now I still get it wrong. I think, especially for women with our cycle, if you are in the wrong period of that, then there is literally nothing you can do.”

I asked Georgia about whether she would consider taking part in the next Olympics, which is set to be held in Los Angeles in 2028. Georgia replied that at the moment it was too early for her to say. She emphasised how taking part in the Olympics is a huge commitment, and there are so many different factors to think about including the need to decompress from the Paris Olympics and the preparation for her next Supertri event in London

We discussed the first Supertri event, which was initially reserved only for men, and I asked Georgia for her thoughts on equality within sports. Georgia replied that she felt incredibly lucky that triathlon was a sport where men and women were on a level playing field with equal access to pay and prize funds, and she urged other sports to follow suit. The recent addition of the Mixed Relay event to the Olympics has been a welcome addition that has promoted greater gender-diversity and equality within the sport.

Georgia’s next event is on the 8th of September in London for Supertri alongside Alex Yee, Beth Potter, Kate Waugh and Jonny Brownlee and many other Olympic champions. Now in its sixth year, thousands of fans are expected to gather for a triathlon that is like no other. Supertri is the world's fastest triathlon, and the format will see athletes race the 300m swim - 4km bike - 1.6km run circuit three times without a break, making it a spectacle worth seeing. The race has been likened to Formula One, and every second counts towards one of the biggest prize purses in the sport ($1.36 million). The event will be held at the West India Quay, providing an iconic backdrop for an exhilarating day of triathlon.

The event is a post-olympics homecoming race for the team, and Georgia expressed her excitement about taking part: “I have always loved Supertri. From watching the first event on Hamilton Island, I always knew it was something I wanted to do. It is amazing and I feel so lucky to be able to take part.”

Tickets to watch the Supertri London race are free and can be reserved through this link.

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Heather Gosling is a university student currently studying English Literature at York. She is passionate about journalism, creative writing and music. She has written for many online and print publications and is working on a music magazine (@circulationzine).

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