Rebecca Romero is probably not one of the world's best known athletes. You don't hear her name mentioned as often as Maria Sharapova, for example, or Jessica Ennis-Hill. But there is no doubt that she is a unique and remarkable athlete: the first British woman, (and the second woman ever), to win Olympic medals in two completely different events.
When her family moved near to the River Thames in the late 1990s, Romero, then 17, decided to go to Kingston rowing club. She quickly discovered that she had a natural aptitude for this punishing sport and eleven months later she was competing at the junior world championships. She continued rowing during her time at university and after graduation became a full-time athlete, training with the British rowing team.
Success followed almost immediately. In 2004, she was one of the crew that won a silver medal in the Athens Olympics. A year later they became world champions. But Romero was not satisfied. 'I'd been unhappy for the last few years of my rowing career, with the system and the way I had to go about being an athlete,' she says. 'Sitting on the start line, I wanted to be able to answer the question, Have I done everything I can do? For a number of years I didn't feel I was the athlete I could be.'
When a persistent back injury wouldn't go away, Romero arranged to go to the Manchester Velodrome as part of the programme to get her muscles fully fit. Her bike test produced results that made a great impression on Dave Brailsford, performance director of the British Cycling Federation. Within weeks Romero had quit rowing and taken up cycling.
The transition was not simple, but Romero enjoyed the different approach to training. 'Within cycling you are part of the team, but also an individual,' she said shortly after switching. 'The athlete is at the top. All the staff and the team are there as services for you as an athlete. I'm trusted as an athlete.' Her training programme was discussed and Romero took part in the discussions.
The initial plan was that Romero should spend her first two years qualifying for the Beijing Olympics. However, six months after first climbing into the saddle Romero became the national time trial champion. Later the same year she won silver in her first world championships and the plan was revised: gold or silver? By the time the Olympics came around only gold would do. And, as expected, Romero beat her friend and teammate, Wendy Houvenaghel, to win.
There was a general expectation that Romero would compete on the cycle track at London 2012. However, her particular event was dropped from the Olympic programme and, because she was unhappy about this, she left the British team in 2011. But people wondered if Romero would leave sport completely? Could she? For a while there were even rumours that she might take up a third Olympic event. But they were not true.
The Olympics came and Romero was not there. She was planning her last great sporting adventure: an Ironman Triathlon. Not a normal triathlon, this is a 3.8 km swim, followed by a 180.25 km bike ride, followed by a full 42.2 km marathon. After only seven month's training, she came sixth overall, second in her age group and qualified for the world championships in Hawaii.
In the Hawaiin heat, Romero managed to finish 46th in her age and half an hour slower than her previous Ironman event. However, given the difficult conditions, it was a performance she was happy with. Asked if she was pleased, Romero said: 'Absolutely! It hurt a lot and I really had to work hard. The Ironman is by far one of the hardest things I have ever done.'
Romero now runs her own sports performance business, passing on her knowledge and experience to help other people achieve the best they can. Her clients must be very pleased to have such a qualified athlete helping them!
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