Tom Bishop had a stellar season on the ITU circuit in 2017 and represented Team England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. But after chasing the Olympic dream for years, he made the switch to middle/long distance racing at the end of 2022. In 2023 the Leeds-based athlete finished second at Clash Miami, before wins at Challenge Puerto Varas and Challenge Wales. He feels he's finally found his happy place as a triathlete.
You'll hear:
04:00 Why 2023 is Tom's make or break year 'I want to be a professional triathlete, being on funding doesn't feel like you're a professional triathlete, it feels like you're part of a process, you're basically at their expense and I wanted to progress and give myself confidence that I'm progressing and making a career out of the sport.'
08:00 Why Tom feels more confident after leaving his short course career behind and why he now feels like a professional athlete.
10:00 Is it scary leaving the security of an elite level programme?
12:00 How does Tom's training differ now he is focussing on middle distance, compared to short distance? 'I reduced a lot of running because I was picking up a lot of niggles, and I put it all into the bike.' 'I don't do any gym, but I do some exercises as part of my morning routine and some short hill sprints.'
17:00 The ability to pick the races Tom wants to do and how he's enjoying the more
20:00 The ability of some athletes to do every distance, from short course to middle and in some cases even long distance.
24:00 Does Tom think all of the powers that be in triathlon will work together to develop one racing calendar?
26:00 Does Tom wish he had made the switch to middle distance earlier? I wish I had gone earlier, but I also don't regret trying to qualify for the Olympic Games.
27:00 What is it about the pull of the Olympic Games? How much does it dig away at you? 'I think it's something that's forced on you more than is needed. Younger kids shouldn't be made to think Olympics is the only goal and the only pathway.'
31:00 All I want to be able to is race without having anything else to worry about and that's when I get the best out of myself. It's nice to be confident in a race again.'
33:00 Tom's goals now that he is racing Middle distance and why he's torn about doing a long distance race in the very near future.
38:00 We hear about Tom's brother David who used to be a triathlete, now works full time for Huub and is an amazing runner.
42:00 You'll also hear from Marc Barrow and Ian Lloyd from Swansea Vale Tri about how they've gone from being a bunch of friends swim, bike and running to the biggest triathlon club in Wales and one of the biggest in the UK.
Find out more about this week's guest:
Tom Bishop Instagram
Swansea Vale Tri
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