Alberto Romero is 25 years old, he has only been competing in triathlon events for two years and last month he was proclaimed runner-up in Spain in duathlon, a modality where he is already one of the national references within his age group. His story is that of an athlete who played soccer in the lower categories of an elite club but ended up changing the ball for the bicycle and the triathlon suit.
Last year you competed in the Duathlon World Championship and this year you have just been proclaimed runner-up in Spain in your age group (25-29 years). What goals have you set for yourself for the coming months?
For me the first part of this season was the most important, and for the first time I have achieved the objectives I had set for myself. I have noticed a lot of change compared to last year, due among other things to the fact that I am also training more. For this second half of the year my goal is to improve my performance in the swimming segment of the triathlon. And next year what I would like is to go to the Spanish Duathlon Championship in the Elite category.
Do you feel more comfortable competing in duathlon or triathlon?
I like triathlon more, but today I am more competitive in duathlon. That's why I have to take advantage of it more. Furthermore, I am improving a lot thanks to the fact that I train every day with Emilio Aguayo.
"Before, by running at 3:20 per kilometer in duathlon you got on the podium; now you are in 30th place. The level is rising a lot"
How did you get into this sport?
This is my third season in triathlon. I used to play soccer, but I had to quit due to a series of injuries and after stopping I started doing triathlon. It was a sport that caught my attention a lot. I was thinking about doing just one, but triathlon gets you hooked and I ended up dedicating more time to it. It is a very attractive sport and, above all, very enjoyable to train, because you practice several sports and get away from the monotony.
How do you assess that more and more athletes are coming to triathlon from other disciplines?
That is being noticed a lot. There are people who are starting to compete in triathlon and who come from athletics or cycling with an impressive level. They are raising the bar a lot. I notice it in that before, if you did 3:20 per kilometer in duathlon, you got on the podium. Now with that mark you enter 30th place. The level of people who are reaching triathlon requires you to train if you want to achieve something. To be on top you have to fly.
"The time to jump into Ironman events is when you have stopped being competitive in triathlon"
Do you think people still look at triathletes as 'freaks' or has that phase already passed?
There are people who continue to look at you like a weirdo, because you tell them how the triathlon works and they are shocked that you have to practice three sports in one. Then there are also those who think that if you haven't done an Ironman you haven't done anything, as if they only counted the kilometers you have to complete. But the truth is that triathlon is a very hard sport. When you start it doesn't seem like that much, but as you set goals and want to go further, you realize that it is very difficult.
Have you considered taking the Ironman distance jump?
Yes, I have considered it, but Emilio Aguayo has recommended that I not do it until I lose speed. Now I have a good speed limit and I have to exploit it in triathlon. The time to make the jump to the Ironman is when you stop being competitive in sprint and Olympic triathlon, when you no longer have the speed to compete to be on the podium but you have achieved a background that allows you to cover longer distances.
