When it comes to British triathlon success, no city has been more synonymous with Olympic glory than Leeds.
Between the Brownlee brothers, and more recently, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee, it has been the place to be for those who thrive in the sport.
Kate Waugh has taken a different approach, however. The Gateshead athlete spent half a decade in Leeds but in 2023, decided that the time was right to stretch her wings, moving to Portugal with boyfriend Max Stapley. It was a bold decision, but after a season that saw her finish sixth in the world rankings while winning silver at the World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final, it appears to be the correct one.
That did not necessarily look to be the case in the aftermath of her first race after the move however – in Abu Dhabi a year ago, where she finished back in 32nd.
Waugh recalled: “I was super nervous going into Abu Dhabi last year because it was my first race after moving.
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“I don’t know whether it was about proving to myself or to everyone else that I had made the right decision. I then had a really bad race so that was difficult to come to terms with. But I decided to stick with it and trust what I was doing and eventually it paid off.
“I had my best-ever result in the WTCS in May last year (finishing fifth in Yokohama) which I then built on for the rest of the year. It gave me a huge confidence boost that I can compete with these girls.
“I found that I’ve got more and more confident with each race. I feel like I used to see them as so far ahead of me, now I think they are beatable and I can be as good as them. Hopefully, it’s something similar this year.”
Kate Waugh is pushing herself for an Olympics spot (Instagram/Kate__waugh)Waugh is now one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing her to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support.
Waugh currently finds herself in the midst of a fierce battle for Olympic selection. World champion Beth Potter has one of the three British spots, with Waugh battle Tokyo silver medallist Taylor-Brown and world number five Sophie Coldwell for one of the remaining two.
That will come down to the upcoming WTCS race in Cagliari but whatever happens, Waugh is confident she made the right decision to move to Portugal – saying that riding conditions in the UK were a major factor.
She explained: “I’d been in Leeds for about five years and I had got to the five-year mark where I felt like I needed a change. I was stalling in the position I was in. I was fed up of riding the same roads and being in the same places all the time.
“I was getting more and more stressed about the riding conditions in the UK, it’s something I’ve always been really nervous about. I was finding it more and more difficult.
“I was also keen to move away from the UK and enjoy riding my bike. I really love doing that and being safe in an environment. That was also a bit of a push.”
In Portugal, Waugh has joined up with the training group of Paulo Sousa, an international group including triathletes from the States, Belgium, Japan and Spain.
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Waugh currently finds herself in the midst of a fierce battle for Olympic selection (vspimages)Now, everything is geared towards making sure she is in peak condition in Sardinia, with Waugh relishing the new set-up.
She added: “In this new environment, I’ve been training with a really positive group of girls. We’re all on the same mission, spending time away from family and friends. It gives you that little extra to give.
“You are more focused on getting everything right in between, the nutrition and sleep, physio and treatment. Because I spend a lot of time away from family, it gives me that little bit of edge to push that little bit more.
“I’m doing everything I can and I know that I need to be as fit as possible going into Cagliari in May. Everything I am doing now is catered towards that.”
Waugh has been competing in triathlon since the age of eight, with Paris potentially the culmination of a lifelong ambition. And she admits that it would never have been possible without the support of The National Lottery.
Waugh added: “I often think about the races that have led me to racing at WTCS level at this point and without the contribution of The National Lottery, it wouldn’t have been possible for me. So I’m hugely grateful for their input over the years.
"It allows me to train abroad now so it’s been huge for my career.”
National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport – from grassroots to elite. To find out more visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk #TNLAthletes
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