LOOK WHO’S BACK Kyle Smith 2.0

We love the naked global ambition, the fame before fortune mantra, the rockstar training partner and the grassroots passion for his sport. The moments of raw introspection are gold too on the rare race occasions when things go pear-shaped, as they inevitably do in triathlon.

And just when we didn’t think we could admire Kyle Smith and his full-throttle race tactics any more, the PTO No.34 goes and throws his chips all in on another Olympic campaign.

The one time Taupo bricklayer’s presence on the Oceania Cup Wānaka and Taupō start lists and thereafter alongside pal Hayden Wilde at the WTCS opener in Abu Dhabi on March 3 is a case study in what a little hindsight and a lot of forgiveness might get you.

Smith was understandably crushed when the umbilical cord to Tri NZ funding was snipped ahead of the 2020, delayed to 2021 Tokyo Olympics – especially after being outkicked by a few seconds and one measly place for a top-10 at the 2019 U23 worlds in Switzerland. “At the time it felt like the world was against you… I felt mistreated in the programme, pretty undervalued and so you start to believe that,” Smith recalled on a recent MX Endurance Podcast appearance.

He’s since reasoned the tough experience was as much a cold-hearted financial decision as it was anything personal or potential related, albeit perhaps poorly communicated at the time.

“…with a more mature head, I can kind of understand and look back and see like, they were making decisions purely unemotional, just looking at facts. It felt really harsh…but I can absolutely understand it in retrospect.

They had no money, they wanted to pay athletes but they were trying to keep themselves afloat really and I guess it’s pretty brutal when it’s like that.”

Smith, to his credit, has moved on and in a hurry. Ever since finding a new long distance calling when he won Ironman 70.3 NZ (in 3:43:18 no less) in late 2019, he’s been on a mission to summit the highest endurance peaks. There was the impressive 11th place on debut at the Ironman Worlds in Utah, a “lifechanging” Collins Cup call-up and the training bromance with Jan Frodeno. Repeated bouts of illness - a blood virus it turns out - stymied progress in 2022 but not the ambition.

“Last year, I really felt like I could have been top 10 ranked in the world. I really believe that I’m a better athlete than, I guess, what I’ve shown on paper.”

And now, there’s unfinished business for the man Frodeno rates the fastest swimbiker in the sport. After his eye-catching silver medal performance in Wānaka, a pair of pencilled in Super League Arena Games appearances in Singapore and London are designed to further reintegrate himself back into the short course conversation.

“I’m not going to say I am [going to qualify] because I think that is arrogant and quite disrespectful for everyone else who is doing it, but I’m going to attempt to go back to World Triathlon and qualify for the Olympics,” Smith said.

“And then attempt to qualify to get an Olympic medal is I guess is what I could say. So yeah, it will be 70.3, it will be PTO and hopefully Super League as well as that WTCS to try and get a qualification for Paris before then hopefully doing a Kristian [Blummenfelt] and returning to Ironman.”

What’s not to love? – KG

Hayden Wilde can’t wait for his sole NZL race start of 2023 in Taranaki

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