Nuno Fernandes, a 22-year-old young man from Portimão, debuted in March in three international triathlons, one of them the Iron Man, in Singapore, and in all of them he classified in the top 10. Now the young triathlete from Portimão is looking for support to be able to participate in another race, this time in Austria, in August.
Nuno Fernandes, a 4th year student of the degree in Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications at the University of Algarve, had never participated in a triathlon, not even at national level. But his taste for challenges and the invitation of a cousin, who lives and works in Dubai, led him to participate in the first international competition, which took place precisely in that country of the United Arab Emirates.
“My cousin lives there and invited me. I accepted and participated in the Dubai triathlon to get used to the weather. It was a week before I left for Abu Dhabi. Then followed the Iron Man, which is a mythical race in Singapore».
In Dubai, Nuno was classified in 9th place, in Abu Dhabi, where he did 1,5 kilometers of swimming, 100 kilometers of bicycle and 10 kilometers of running, he was 6th in the under-24 level. The last and most important challenge was in Singapore, with the Iron Man 70.3 race: 1,9 kilometers swimming, 90 kilometers cycling and finally 21 kilometers running.
Among 40 athletes from his under-24 level, Nuno Fernandes was 8th. But he confesses that it was a “very difficult race, with very difficult weather conditions, a lot of heat and humidity, something that we Europeans are not used to”.
“My bike isn't even a triathlon. In Singapore, I got panicky seeing the guys in my group age with bikes where only the back wheel paid for all of mine. There were 40 in my group age and they all had bicycles that were authentic machines», said the young athlete from Algarve in an interview with Sul Informação.
But neither the humidity, nor the heat, not even the heavy and low aerodynamic bike defeated Nuno, who once again finished in the Top 10. And with that he even managed to get the minimum amount to go to the Worlds, in Las Vegas, in the States United of America. “But I refused, because I didn't have support. I left my place at the disposal of another athlete who can get this support», he explained, without any regrets.
And why did Nuno Fernandes remember to start competing in one of the toughest and most competitive races in the world? The young man's explanation even seems that what he did was no big deal: «This opportunity came up to go to Dubai and try it out with my cousin. We are going through a difficult time in our country. And this served to show that, if we want to, we can do it!». Simple, isn't it?
The preparation for Singapore started eight months in advance and now Nuno is already preparing for the Iron Man race, in Austria, on 26th August. For this, he trains every day for two to three hours, cycling, running, swimming or weight training.
Before, your training was done without any help. Now, Paulo Sousa, from Associação O2 is his swimming coach and will also start working with another distance cycling coach.
But training, stresses Nuno Fernandes, does not overlap with his studies at the University. "It would be disloyal to my parents," says the young man. To be able to reconcile studies and regular training, the athlete gave up going out at night. In fact, he confesses, "I don't go out at night more than four or five times a year." Moreover, your days are made up of training in the early morning or at the end of the day and studying.
With well-defined life goals, Nuno's next goal is now Austria in August. In previous tests, he paid the expenses out of his own pocket, with the help of his parents and cousin, who invited him to distant Dubai. «Here in the Algarve, we are used to having everything at our disposal and we haven't even left our city to go on vacation. So I had some money aside».
But the challenge of the proof of Salzburg, Austria, and the results achieved in previous competitions created a new level of demand for the Algarve athlete. Registration alone costs 240 euros – and Nuno has already paid for it. “But then the rest is missing: transport, accommodation. For that alone, it will be around 500 or 600 euros. And I want to add a little more to have a better bike, which allows me to be more at the level of others».
Therefore, he is «looking for support to be able to bear all the expenses». Nuno has already obtained, however, an important support: that of the company codes, specializing in sports equipment. “The brand offered me a complete cycling outfit and is going to give me a triathlon outfit, which will bear the logos of all the sponsors. This will give visibility to the support of all sponsors».
“When I went to participate in these triathlons, my goal was just to finish. Things ended up going very well for me». So well that Nuno Fernandes was always classified in the Top 10 and even got the minimum for the Worlds in the United States. Therefore, supporting him in this new stage in Iron Man Austria could be a good deal for his future sponsors.
<<<<<——— See more images from the Abu Dhabi and Singapore races in the Photogallery column here on the left side<<<<——–
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