Interview with Olympic Silver Medalist Julie Derron

Congratulations on your silver medal in Paris! How did you feel when you crossed the finish line and knew that you had won a medal?

I was mega happy and proud and honestly quite emotional too. It was an incredible moment to actually know what I had achieved. Of course I was also exhausted, it was a tough competition.

What were the biggest challenges on your way to the Olympic Games?

The most difficult thing was not losing focus over such a long period of time. You know that you have to get the best out of yourself every day for many months. At the beginning of 2023, around 1.5 years before the Olympic Games, I had a serious injury, a fatigue fracture in my hip. I couldn’t do any running training for over three months. I was able to do swimming training, but the injury kept me out of the qualifying races during the competition phase. I was happy when I was able to get going again and then met the requirements to take part in Paris.

Can you take us through a typical training day? What does your training schedule look like?

We basically have two different training days, which always alternate: One day focuses on swimming and cycling, the other on running.

The usual swim/bike days start with a 90-minute swim training session with a different focus on speed or endurance. After breakfast and a short break, a shorter, intensive bike training session starts in the morning to build up strength. After the lunch break, there is a second cycling unit in the afternoon, which tends to cover longer distances. The evenings are usually relaxed and then it’s early to bed.

The following running day also begins with a short bike session to wake up the body and then the first running training session in the morning focuses on speed. The afternoon session again concentrates on endurance, so that the body gets used to running even with tired legs. The running training is often followed by a relaxed swimming session to get the lactate out of the body and loosen up the muscles. And so the days always alternate. This means that the bones are not challenged every day by the demanding running training and can recover well.

How do you prepare yourself mentally for a competition as demanding as the Olympic Games?

I have been working with a sports psychologist since the beginning of the year. The mental aspect plays an extremely important role; you have to develop strategies on how to deal with the physical stress of the competition as well as uncertainty or nervousness beforehand. I used to be nervous before the competition – nowadays I make checklists and work a lot with visualization. It’s important for me to know the surroundings and the environment so that I don’t have to look for things before the competition. It also helps me to know how to turn the pain into something positive when the competition gets tough. These are all small things that you can try out in training and then get better at over time. Good preparation is crucial here in order to deal with your own nervousness. You always have to concentrate on the next step. So there’s no point thinking about cycling while you’re swimming.

Especially for the Olympics, I talked a lot with Nicola Spirig [editor’s note: 2012 Olympic triathlon champion] beforehand, who shared her valuable experience with me. That also helped a lot in terms of being as well prepared as possible for the competition and minimizing additional stress.

Were there moments in your career when you thought about giving up?

I’ve actually never wanted to stop triathlon. I’ve been doing it for so long that I can’t imagine my life without it. There are days when you don’t feel like training as much. But after a few days without sport, I really miss it and want to get going again.

How does triathlon influence your private life? How do you manage to find a balance between training, competitions and your personal life?

Triathlon is a very big part of my life. In intense times like preparing for the Olympics, friendships and other contacts have to take a back seat. At that moment, the most important thing is to prepare as well as possible for the competition. You make certain sacrifices and spend less time with friends. For example, I was in St. Moritz for two months straight, whereas I actually live in Zurich. But after Paris, I had a few days in Zurich and was able to catch up. I need that as a balance and then the evenings get longer and training starts later. It’s important to know what’s good for you and when.

What role do your family and environment play in your career?

My family and my environment play an extremely important role, especially my sisters, who both also do triathlons. I’m currently in St. Moritz with Nina and it’s really nice not to be alone and to be able to train together. She went through the whole preparation with me and supported me a lot, even when things got difficult.

Even if you stand alone at the start line – you didn’t get there on your own. That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with people who challenge you on the one hand, but who can also give you a sense of calm. It’s also important for me to have a place where I feel comfortable. St. Moritz is like a second home to me, which really helps me to concentrate on my training.

In addition to the full triathlon program, you also completed an ETH degree. How do you do that? Do you get support from ETH and what are the biggest challenges of such a double burden?

I completed my degree in food science at ETH about 1.5 years ago. It was a perfect timing because I was able to concentrate exclusively on sport for the last year before the Olympics. During the semester it was always a challenge, especially during the exam period – usually the exams are in the summer, so at the same time as the competition period. It wasn’t always easy to reconcile this, but it helps to make a good schedule that gives you structure throughout the day. It was also a good balance, because you can’t think so much about training during your studies and vice versa.

I was able to complete the intensive foundation year at ETH in two years instead of one, which helped a lot. For me personally, the corona period was actually an advantage because I no longer had to go to ETH in person, but could use the time to train and then watch the lectures later in the day as a recording. I was also given more time to write my Master’s thesis, I was able to write it in 8 or 9 months instead of the usual 6, so I had less pressure. The fact that I was already in the national squad was an advantage here and ETH was very accommodating. Of course, you don’t get any easier exams, but you have a bit more time to complete your studies.

What do you do to relax and unwind when you’re not training or competing? Do you have any hobbies or interests that have nothing to do with sport?

I like to read to relax. It also forces me to sit on the sofa and just do nothing. Apart from that, I also enjoy going out for coffee, which has become a bit of a hobby, finding a nice café in new places. I also really enjoyed the mountain lakes in St. Moritz over the summer. I like to do something active, but I don’t go as full force as I do during training.

What role do sponsors play in your career?

Sponsors are extremely important in order to finance my sport. I studied alongside sport for a long time, I couldn’t have worked here on the side, that wouldn’t have worked out. Fortunately, I also have the support of my parents, so I can live in Zurich for free, for example. You don’t get rich from triathlon, especially at the beginning you can’t live off it. Of course, it helps a lot if you can focus on the sport – especially at a younger age – and don’t have to worry about finances. I don’t do triathlon for the money, but because it’s my passion and I love the challenge, seeing how much I can achieve gives me a lot. But of course you also have to make a living.

How do you see the future of triathlon, especially for women?

I see it in a very positive light. It’s a cool sport, also because women complete the same distances as men. In most cases, the prize money is also distributed equally among the professionals. There are more men at the start of the popular triathlons, but if there are more female role models who show how good you can become, maybe that will change at some point. I hope I can make a contribution here too. In endurance sports in particular, the difference in performance between men and women becomes smaller and smaller as the competition progresses. In Switzerland, the sport of triathlon is also quite well known and has a good community. Triathlon is therefore on the right track – especially for women.

Is there any advice you would give to young female athletes who dream of a career in triathlon?

Don’t give up and give yourself time. I started triathlon very early on and have only now, at 27, reached the pinnacle. I’ve learned so much over the years and it hasn’t always been easy. That’s why the most important thing is not to give up and to create a good environment.

When you look back on your career so far: Is there anything you would do differently?

I would believe in myself earlier and really give it my all – in other words, concentrate exclusively on sport. That was rather difficult alongside my studies. But I’m still young and can still go “all in” for triathlon.

What does success mean to you? Has your definition of success changed over the course of your career?

The greatest success for me is when I know that I have given 100% in a competition. Even in preparation, you have to give your best and do everything right in order to really show what you are capable of on the race day. Results and numbers are also important, but if you know you’ve given your best, then it doesn’t matter whether you come 2nd, 10th or 15th.

Finally, is there a message you would like to give to the people who have supported you along the way?

A huge thank you for walking the path with me and hopefully continuing to support me in the future. As I said earlier, you never walk the path alone and everyone therefore has a contribution to your success.

Dear Julie, thank you very much for talking to us! We wish you continued success and look forward to the next training session with you and Nina.

The interview was conducted by Barbara Jonietz on 28.08.2024.