British para-triathlete Lewis confident of winning on his triathlon debut in Abu Dhabi
British para-triathlete Andy Lewis has won all major competitions dating back to April 2016. His winning streak of eight major titles began at Penrith ITU World Paratriathlon, took in gold at the Rio Paralympic Games and culminated with his most recent success at the Sarasota ITU Paratriathlon World Cup last October. We spoke to him ahead of his debut at the ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi in March. Q Will March be your first visit to Abu Dhabi? If so, how are you looking forward to the event?
A Yes, it will. I am really excited to be coming to Abu Dhabi. It seems a beautiful country and I am really excited about the race, more excited than any other race on my calendar this year.
The weather in March can be a lot hotter than any other places you may have raced. Have you taken that into consideration while preparing? As this is my first race of the season I will be using it as a warm-up event. It seems quite fitting when the temperature is normally 24C-29°C during the month of March. I am normally pretty good in the heat. I actually perform quite well. On this occasion I won’t be doing any heat prep, but I will be spending most of January and February out of the UK in a winter training camp in Lanzarote [Canary Islands, Spain].
Have you already started preparing for Abu Dhabi? If so, can you describe your training schedule?
I have just started training after the Christmas break. I haven’t been doing too much, mainly just ticking over on the bike and a few runs. I found a new love for mountain biking so spent most of my time riding my new specialised mountain bike. My usual training week consists of an average 26 hours a week. This normally consists of four bikes [rides] a week, three runs, two gym sessions, swimming every day.
How have you relaxed in the off-season?
I spent a week in the USA after Sarasota [in Florida], visiting Nasa, Universal studios, etc, and then returned to the UK to take my family abroad to Spain for a well-deserved break. I travel around quite a lot and never get a chance to take my wife or children, so any opportunity I get is well worth it. My wife will be travelling with me to Abu Dhabi, so it’s a rare opportunity for us to spend some time together with our children. You have been on a roll, winning eight races on the trot, starting from Penrith in April 2016 to your last race in Sarasota. How confident are you taking that forward to Abu Dhabi? I have been looking forward to get racing again, and I am sure if I continue where I left off last year I can take the win. I am up against Mohamed [Lahna of Morocco who won bronze in the PT2 Class Paralympics in Rio] who’s an amazing athlete. However, it’s an early start for us both so will be fun. Was winning a Paralympic gold at Rio your biggest triumph? Winning in Rio for sure made me realise my potential, not just in sport but also in life. It made me feel very proud of my achievements. It has raised my profile in the sport somewhat but it hasn’t made a massive difference to my dream, aspirations and goals. It has made me realise that motivating people, especially children, is something that I really enjoy. You had your leg amputated at 22. At that time did you think a career as an athlete was possible? No not at all, I didn’t know what path my life was going to take. I really thought I was going to be in the military, so that was my life. I had nothing else planned. I suppose the thing that led me towards being an athlete was the fact that people told me it wasn’t possible for me, let alone make my way to Rio. How did you become a para athlete? I was trying my hand at athletics. However, getting my running blade didn’t just happen overnight. It was a long drawn-out process. I had to raise thousands of pounds to get the blade intact, nearly £10,000 [Dh50,611]. I put on lots of events to raise the funds, and wanted to show people that it was not a waste of money. I went on to join a couple of events and was noticed at an event by a charity called the Arctic One Foundation, who I now am an ambassador for. They help disabled people get active by putting on events. In fact one of the key charity members, Bex Stubbings, will be in Abu Dhabi with me as part of her role with the ITU as an official.