Nicola Spirig

Nicola Spirig ( born February 7, 1982 in Bülach ) is a Swiss triathlete, now mainly in the Olympic distance race (1.5 km swim, 40 km cycling and 10 km running) starts. Your biggest-ever success in triathlon are the Olympic victory in 2012, three European titles ( 2009, 2010 and 2012) as well as one world and European champion title in the Junior Women. Added to this is a U-23 World Championship title in duathlon ( 2003). She is Swiss Duathlon champion (2012 ).

Career

Nicola Spirig grew up in a sporting family - her parents Ursula and Joseph Spirig were both active as a sports teacher and she was 15 years, coached by her father.

Spirig denied its first students in 1992 triathlon, but was initially successful as a junior at the national level in athletics. So she was Swiss junior champion in 5000 -meter run and cross-country running. In the European Junior Championships in 1999 and 2000 in cross-country running she reached the second place. In the same period she also denied duathlons. In this discipline, it was once each Junior World Champion, Junior European Champion and U-23 World Champion. The Swiss Sports Aid Foundation drew Spirig as a junior athlete of the year 2000.

Also Junior World Champion was Spirig 2001 Triathlon. Due to the already provided services she received in 2001 as part of the selection of the Sportsman of the Year award for Best Newcomer. In the category of U -23 they belonged to the world's best (twice third at the World Championships, once second in the European Championships ). She participated in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in part and reached the 19th place.

For elite athletes, the successes from 2007 presented an as Spirig won the bronze medal at the European Championships in Copenhagen. In the same year she won for the first time in a Triathlon World Cup races ( Eilat ) and in a race category Ironman 70.3 ( Rapperswil ). 2008, the second World Cup victory followed in Kitzbühel.

In 2009 she was Triathlon European Champion on the short distance. This title she successfully defended in Ireland in 2010. In 2010 she was also Vice Triathlon World Champion on the short distance.

Spirig was for the 2011 season by the International Triathlon Union (ITU ) has been appointed member of the " Gold Group " - the best ten women and men of previous years represent the ITU in public and secure their national associations for each of the seven races of the ITU World Championship Series one additional place.

Nicola Spirig was a member of the Swiss Triathlon Team London 2012. In April 2012, she won her third title at the Triathlon European Championships in Israel. In May, she was Swiss Duathlon Champion. You could also already qualified for the third time for a starting place at the Olympic Games in June 2012 and launched in London together with Daniela Ryf, Sven Riederer and Ruedi Wild for Switzerland. After an exciting final sprint she won the gold medal ahead of time equal to the target run- Swedish Lisa Nordén. So they took 12 years after the success of Brigitte McMahon the second gold medal in triathlon for Switzerland. In December, she was elected to the Swiss Sportswoman of the Year. On April 6, 2014, it was undercutting the Zurich Marathon with their time ( 2:42:53 hours), the limits for the European Athletics Championships in 2014.

Her husband Reto Hug started as a professional triathlete for Switzerland. The couple lives in Zurich's angle and has a son.

Sporting successes

( DNF - Did Not Finish )

ITU competitions

The following list is based on the official ITU rankings and the Athlete 's Profile Page. Where not specifically stated, it is in the following events are triathlons (Olympic Distance) and belong to the Elite category.

  • European Team Championship: Gold Medal 2000, Silver Medal 2002, Silver Medal 2006
  • Swiss Junior Champion 5000 m: 2000, 2001
  • Swiss Champion Cross Country: 2001 and 2009
  • Junior Cross Country Championships: Silver medal 1999 and 2000
  • Swiss champion 5000 -meter run: 2009

Gallery

Emmie Charayron, Nicola Spirig and Helen Jenkins in Madrid, 2010

Nicola Spirig before the start in the Sprint World Championships in Lausanne, 2011

Nicola Spirig with the Swiss team in Lausanne. 2010

Nicola Spirig the sponsorship of the Swiss Sports Aid event in Ittigen, 2012

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