Historic opportunity for Anne Haug
Hawaii or Utah? The main thing is the Ironman World Championship
05/07/2022 09:13 am
After 938 days, Anne Haug can finally tackle the mission of defending her title. On the new route, the Ironman World Championship becomes a piñata. Because this time the World Cup will not take place in Hawaii, but in Utah. “A World Cup is a World Cup,” explains Haug. And of course she wants to win.
Anne Haug sat safely on her throne for 938 days. First cancellation, then relocation – the sensational storm on the Ironman summit was followed by the emptiness of the pandemic. Before the long-awaited title defense, the world champion is now plagued by doubts, the role of the hunted is giving her problems. “It’s always easier to start the race with a clean sheet and just do it than if you’ve been carrying a backpack around with you for three years, the target on your back and everyone wants to wrestle the title from you,” said Haug.
With the burden of the favorite, you “thought that anything but a win would be failure,” she explained: “But you shouldn’t approach it that way.” Especially not at the World Championship race today (2:20 p.m. / HR) – because that seems more open than ever. In addition to the long break, the first-time transfer from the Ironman Mecca Hawaii to St. George in the US state of Utah is causing “great uncertainty”.
“It’s a grab bag for everyone,” said Haug: “It almost feels like the Olympics every four years. It’s a bit torn between anticipation and nervousness.” On October 12, 2019, she triumphed in what was only her second participation in Hawaii. The strong athlete was also able to convince with a new course record on her only long distance since the pandemic began in September 2021 in Roth.
Historic opportunity for Anne Haug
Despite the lack of highlights, Haug never had any motivation problems. She just wanted to “just get better every day. I don’t need any competitions for that and I just love what I do,” said the former sprinter. Now it’s payday, whether that really succeeded. The mountainous cycling and running routes in St. George should suit the rather light athlete.
“You had to prepare yourself a little differently and specially,” explained Haug. In general, the race will be “a different world” than in Hawaii, but the importance will remain. “For me, a World Cup is a World Cup. For me, that means that the best athletes in the world meet and fight it out,” said the Bayreuth native: “Personally, it doesn’t really matter to me where it is, even if Hawaii is of course a myth .”
Jan Frodeno’s cancellation due to injury puts even more focus on Haug. “I try not to let the pressure get to me, of course I feel pressure, but mainly it’s what I do myself,” she emphasized. A World Cup anyway “always has its own laws” and the competitors are “not Easter bunnies”.
They all share the desire for something historical. The regular edition of the World Championships on October 6th offers the chance to become the first woman to become World Champion twice in one year. “Of course you dream of it and motivate yourself with it,” said Haug: “But doing that twice a year is going to be a very, very difficult thing.”