Canada in Tokyo – Tyler Mislawchuk – Triathlon

“I want to win the Olympics.”

Those are the words of triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

While the 26-year-old is fully aware of the nature of that ambition, it is the only way he knows how to approach the challenge.

“(It is) kind of a big statement to say. I might fail, I might succeed,” Mislawchuk said before heading to Japan. “That’s the goal. If you don’t have that mentality, then you are put in that situation where you can win, you never will.”

Like any athlete, Mislawchuk is hoping to peak at just the right time. Despite limited action in the last 19 months, he has a couple of notable wins to back up his optimism.

The Manitoba product claimed victory on the Olympic course at the test event for the Games before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and then, after just one competitive race in over a year, returned to the top step of the podium at the Huatulco World Cup last month.

This will be Mislawchuk’s second Games, and though he is looking to improve on a creditable 15th place finish in Rio, he is grateful for that experience.

“I was pretty lucky to be there,” Mislawchuk said. “Lucky to get one under my belt early at (age) 21. I was the youngest guy there.”

Since then, Mislawchuk has relocated from the prairies to the National Performance Centre in Victoria, which allows him to train all year round.

“The one thing that prairies are missing … If you love winter it’s a great spot, but if you are trying to train for a summer sport its not necessarily ideal all year round.

“The important thing for me is the milder weather than the prairies, being able to ride my bike outside in October, November or even December if you want,” he said.

Mislawchuk does not forget his roots though, and speaks warmly of his hometown Oak Bluff, a village of about a thousand people just south-west of Winnipeg.

“It is one of the most supportive communities you could ever imagine,” he said. “I’m so lucky to be from there. I’ve actually got a poster of me hanging up on the local fire truck.”

It was not always triathlon for Mislawchuk, who started out in hockey and soccer, but he will get to revert to his team sport roots in the mixed relay event.

That means that the world number seven will have two cracks at Olympic gold, something that Mislawchuk is looking forward to.

“Definitely the dynamic surrounding the race, pre and post, is different and for me I love it,” he said.

“I will say after being in an individual sport for so long watching your teammates makes you anxious. Whether they are doing amazing or having a sub-par race, being out of control is hard. You want to get out there and help them.”

Mislawchuk plans to relax by watching some TV. Ozark is his current binge after a warm weather camp in Arkansas, and he’s a fan of both hockey and ‘sports in general,’ so he’ll absorb plenty of the action in Japan.

And not only does he plan to leave his competitors in the rear view mirror, he is doing the same with the most recent NHL season after how it ended for his beloved Winnipeg Jets.

“I’d be banished from Oak Bluff if the Jets weren’t my team. It was a bit of a tough go this year watching an 0-4 sweep,” he added.

The men’s individual triathlon race featuring Mislawchuk goes the evening of July 25, with the mixed team event on July 30.

Listen to the full interview – https://iono.fm/e/1077281