On the upcoming Ironman event in South Africa Andreas Venhorst from Germany is one of the participants in the men’s pro field. In 2009 he finished in 5-th place, so he is now considered as one of the biggest stars of the race. He also finished 5th at IM Malaysia early this year.

I met Andreas accidentally in front of our hotel before our first bike training in Malaysia. I immediately recognized that he will compete for one of the front row places. So after a few words with him, we (Marek and me) let him go and continued in our own pace, while Andreas disappeared somewhere in the distance. We stayed in the same hotel, so we often met each other at breakfast or somewhere in the town. We found out, that Andreas is a German who stays half of the year in South Africa after he became a professional triathlete 2009. So he will also be on the line next week in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and that is the reason why www.trisport.sk asked him for interview.

Andreas, introduce yourself briefly. What is your civil occupation?
Hi, I am Dr. Andreas Venhorst, 31 years old, representing Germany and I am preparing for the IM South Africa in Port Elizabeth on April 25th in Potchefstroom, South Africa. I am a medical doctor and finished my studies in human medicine at the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany and graduated at the faculty for sports medicine at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. I am now a professional triathlete and publish articles for Europe’s biggest triathlon magazine “triathlon” and for Germany’s most frequented website triathlon.de.

What is your sport background? Which sports did you make in the past?
In my youth I was playing tennis and soccer, both in elite teams, but I could never decide what I wanted to focus on. After some years without competitive sports I was playing volleyball for some time, but with starting studying medicine there was no more time for teamsport at certain times. Only then 2004 I started with endurance sport, because you can run whenever you have got time. That’s when I also started swimming and cycling.

What are your best results in triathlon?
The best results are the two 5th places at the IM South Africa 2009 and at the IM Malaysia 2010 and winning my Age Category at the European Championships in Frankfurt 2008.

When did you turn professional and why?
I decided to turn Pro after I won my Age Category at IM Germany 2008. I think that’s what you can reach as an amateur and if you want to improve you must compete with the big guys. I was one of the favorites in the M25 in Hawaii 2008, but due to stomach problems the whole week before the race I couldn’t race at the World Champs in Kona.

Why did you move to South Africa?
I am staying half of the year now in Potchefstroom, South Africa. I came here for trainings camps the last years because of a friend who was racing for my former team in Germany. The time I trained here became then longer and longer. Meanwhile Potchefstroom became my second home and I know a lot of people here that support me and make it affordable for me. It is one of the safest places in South Africa and attracting a lot of international athletes from different disciplines. Furthermore I am also considering staying here work wise as the High Performance Institute here offers interesting opportunities, although the University without a medical department is not geared up for proper research yet. Last but not least and actually the main reason to stay that long and even longer in the future is my girlfriend I met here.

How are the conditions for training in South Africa?
The training conditions and facilities here can’t be better. Potchefstroom is part of the Highfeld region and therefore in mid altitude. The climate allows an continuous training, without canceling training sessions due to the weather and the facilities like the gras tracks are really enjoyable for Europeans. Potchefstroom is also the center for the Triathlon South Africa and there are a lot of Triathlon Unions from Europe that are coming here for training camps. So the level of performance is just stunning and the living here is quite cheap compared to Europe.

What is your favorite discipline in triathlon and why?
I am a terrible swimmer, so my cycling and running looks O.K., but I haven’t got a favorite discipline. I think I am only average even in cycling and running. I am only moving forward in the end of the races, so I might be physically and mentally a bit more enduring than others. I like the fourth discipline in Long-distance, the mind game, that’s my favorite.

What your expectations for the IM South Africa and for the season?
After two 5th places it is time to make it one better. But there is a stunning field on the line in Port Elizabeth this year and I had a second severe training crash just two weeks ago. I am still suffering from back pain, but hope to be fit on race day. The goal for the season is definitely to close the gap to the podium positions and I think I can manage that in one of the latter races this season.

Thank You and I wish you good luck next Sunday.
You can find more about Andreas on his web page : www.venhorst.org/

Možno sa vám to zdá zvláštne, že tento rozhovor je v angličtine a radi by sme takýchto zaradili viac. Predsa len, angličtina je hlavným jazykom triatlonu. Tak prečo nie? Čo si o tom myslíte?