THIS TIME AROUND, things are a little different for Aileen Reid as she prepares to take to the start line on Copacabana beach.
Four years ago, the weight of expectation was an unwelcome burden for the triathlete as a crash at the start of the 40km bike leg in London shattered her chances of finishing on the podium.
Ranked seven in the world at the time, there were high hopes for Reid but she came crashing back down to earth with a 43rd place finish.
“I think I was a bit naive,” Reid tells The42. “I’ve learned a lot about myself since London and I think I’ve come a full circle in this Olympic cycle. Hopefully that will make me a better athlete in Rio.
“I more experienced and mature now and after switching coaches have got to train with the best in the world everyday. That has really helped.”
With just seven weeks to go until her second Olympic Games, the Derry woman is a more experienced and wiser operator and is one of the most consistent athletes on the circuit.
Six top 10 finishes last year secured her place in Rio and her preparations continued last weekend with a win on home soil at the City of Derry Triathlon.
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Reid returned home last weekend to win in Derry. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
At 34 years of age, that level of expectation may not be as high this time around but it’s something which sits well with Reid, who struggled to manage the burden in 2012.
“Before London, I came second in Madrid and it wasn’t too far out from the Games and a lot of people were hanging a medal around my neck, saying that I was going for gold,” she continued.
“I found that really difficult to deal with because I wasn’t going for gold, I was going out to do the best possible race I could do and I didn’t like the fact people were saying ‘Oh go and get the gold Aileen’ and this sort of thing because it wasn’t what I was thinking about.
“I really resented it because anything other than a gold medal was a let down.
“Now I know how to deal with those situations better now. If someone writes something I maybe don’t take it as seriously or aren’t as upset by it.”
Reid, along with Bryan Keane, will spend the next few weeks finalising preparations for Rio. Two events, in Stockholm and Hamburg, will allow her to fine-tune her race tactics and strategy in the heat of battle.
Every training session, every race and every day is being used to build towards the main event.
Four years of hard work will come to a head on 20 August but Reid isn’t letting herself think too far ahead, particularly after her experience in London.
Reid has unfinished business to attend to this August. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“I don’t really have any expectations, people ask you and expect you to say a number where you want to finish but I don’t really have a number because I’m thinking about putting my best foot forward in the race and doing what I can.
“If I put all my effort into the race and the do the best I can then I’ll be happy with wherever I come.
“I had pretty much qualified over the first year of the two year period so I was always reasonably certain that I was going and I didn’t have the same situation as many athletes with a major build-up.
“I don’t know how to say it. Is the excitement building? I race maybe eight or ten times during the year but the Olympics is very different. At the same time you have to treat it as another race otherwise you’ll get way too nervous. Excited, nervous and all those things but not too much.”
There have been many highs and lows on this Olympic journey for Reid but the prospect of representing Ireland on the biggest sporting stage is one which keeps the fire burning.
She spends most weeks away from home, travelling from city to city, for races and training camps. Reid will return to Font Romeau in the French Pyrenees for the next couple of weeks as she tries to separate herself from the outside world.
But talk of medals comes with the territory.
“Maybe that pressure isn’t there this time around as no one is expecting anything, my results haven’t been as good recently,” Reid admits.
“It certainly made me nervous in London and I felt like I didn’t want to let people down by doing anything other than what they wanted. I don’t think anyone deals with pressure and I can only do what I can do.
“Having represented your country is a fantastic achievement and getting to two Olympics is another fantastic achievement. Whilst I don’t think my result in London reflects the athlete I am, I think I can show what I’m capable of in Rio.”
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'I've learnt to deal with those situations. If something is said or written I don't get as upset by it'
THIS TIME AROUND, things are a little different for Aileen Reid as she prepares to take to the start line on Copacabana beach.
Four years ago, the weight of expectation was an unwelcome burden for the triathlete as a crash at the start of the 40km bike leg in London shattered her chances of finishing on the podium.
Ranked seven in the world at the time, there were high hopes for Reid but she came crashing back down to earth with a 43rd place finish.
“I think I was a bit naive,” Reid tells The42. “I’ve learned a lot about myself since London and I think I’ve come a full circle in this Olympic cycle. Hopefully that will make me a better athlete in Rio.
“I more experienced and mature now and after switching coaches have got to train with the best in the world everyday. That has really helped.”
With just seven weeks to go until her second Olympic Games, the Derry woman is a more experienced and wiser operator and is one of the most consistent athletes on the circuit.
Six top 10 finishes last year secured her place in Rio and her preparations continued last weekend with a win on home soil at the City of Derry Triathlon.
At 34 years of age, that level of expectation may not be as high this time around but it’s something which sits well with Reid, who struggled to manage the burden in 2012.
“Before London, I came second in Madrid and it wasn’t too far out from the Games and a lot of people were hanging a medal around my neck, saying that I was going for gold,” she continued.
“I found that really difficult to deal with because I wasn’t going for gold, I was going out to do the best possible race I could do and I didn’t like the fact people were saying ‘Oh go and get the gold Aileen’ and this sort of thing because it wasn’t what I was thinking about.
“Now I know how to deal with those situations better now. If someone writes something I maybe don’t take it as seriously or aren’t as upset by it.”
Reid, along with Bryan Keane, will spend the next few weeks finalising preparations for Rio. Two events, in Stockholm and Hamburg, will allow her to fine-tune her race tactics and strategy in the heat of battle.
Every training session, every race and every day is being used to build towards the main event.
Four years of hard work will come to a head on 20 August but Reid isn’t letting herself think too far ahead, particularly after her experience in London.
“I don’t really have any expectations, people ask you and expect you to say a number where you want to finish but I don’t really have a number because I’m thinking about putting my best foot forward in the race and doing what I can.
“If I put all my effort into the race and the do the best I can then I’ll be happy with wherever I come.
“I had pretty much qualified over the first year of the two year period so I was always reasonably certain that I was going and I didn’t have the same situation as many athletes with a major build-up.
There have been many highs and lows on this Olympic journey for Reid but the prospect of representing Ireland on the biggest sporting stage is one which keeps the fire burning.
She spends most weeks away from home, travelling from city to city, for races and training camps. Reid will return to Font Romeau in the French Pyrenees for the next couple of weeks as she tries to separate herself from the outside world.
But talk of medals comes with the territory.
“Maybe that pressure isn’t there this time around as no one is expecting anything, my results haven’t been as good recently,” Reid admits.
“Having represented your country is a fantastic achievement and getting to two Olympics is another fantastic achievement. Whilst I don’t think my result in London reflects the athlete I am, I think I can show what I’m capable of in Rio.”
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2016 Olympics AILEEN Reid Road to Rio tri Triathlon