After a season in the proverbial downtime, Tijmen Smit is eager to prove himself again in the triathlon field. The native of Bergentheim (Overijssel) took on too much in 2022 by completing three full triathlons in ten weeks: Roth, Maastricht, and Almere. "Think of it as a reaction to the corona year when everything went quiet. This was overcompensation and unfortunately caused a stress injury in my heel," Tijmen reflects.

As a young athlete, he spent most of his time in the pool; his roots are in competitive swimming. When he increasingly disliked the training regime, he switched to water polo, but young Tijmen couldn't fully express himself there either. He also regularly ran with his father, and when he got his first job in Borculo, just a stone's throw from the Goossens bike shop, his passion for cycling was sparked. Triathlete Tijmen Smit found his calling.

He signed up with Argo in Wierden and played in the premier division for that team in his early years. After that, he switched to TTvW from Hof van Twente, but Tijmen lacked the pure speed to keep up with the top. "I'm a real diesel engine. That's why I wanted to gain experience in long-distance racing." That happened in 2017 and immediately resulted in a silver medal in his Age Group at the European Long Distance Championships in Almere.

The passion for long-distance triathlon was ignited. Tijmen hired a coach and has since focused entirely on longer distances. With occasional participation in team competitions: he currently races for TV Dordrecht, since moving to Hardinxveld-Giessendam a few years ago.

"Next week the Ironman Cascais is on the schedule. I feel super fit again after a year of injury and am eager to achieve a good result there," says a motivated Tijmen. The products from AthleteSportsWorld are essential: "For a full triathlon, you have to put in many hours, and ASW has an extensive product range. Especially since I cycle a lot, I know exactly what I need and they advise me perfectly. I am also very satisfied with my Gobik clothing, and I have a real sock addiction: with the colorful socks from Sporcks, I always look good. ASW simply offers very high-quality gear!"

Tijmen's schedule:

21-10 Ironman Cascais

2024:

Cross duathlons

Some nice half triathlons

Ostseeman Glücksburg