The coach of triathlon stars Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden has said he believes that the pair can get fitter than ever before as they aim for lofty goals this season.

Olav Aleksander Bu, who masterminded Blummenfelt’s Olympic success and Iden’s course record breaking win in Kona, is well known for his scientific approach to training.

In a recent interview, the Norwegian shared an update on the form of Blummenfelt, how Iden is recovering from injury and what’s next for the dynamic duo.

“Kristian is as strong as ever”

Preparing to defend his Olympic title this summer in Paris, Bu said that Blummenfelt is in a great place to compete once again for the gold medal.

“Kristian is as strong as ever and on track for Paris. He was really well prepared for WTCS Abu Dhabi [which was cancelled], and I think it will be really exciting to see now where we are versus where we have been before.”

For iden on the other hand, Bu confirmed that the Olympic dream is all but over, with achilles problems compounding the race against time brought on by a loss of form last season.

“I think now with the races he lost and as a function of that the qualification points as well, it’s more of a gamble to be able to qualify for the Olympics.

“He would need to show up to races and hope that other people drop out in order to make a successful podium, because otherwise he wouldn’t be allowed to race and if he couldn’t race he wouldn’t be able to get his spot at the Olympics.” 

“We are now looking for a repeat of Kona”

Instead of Paris, Iden will now focus on Kona, with the two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion focusing on qualifying late in the spring or in early summer if he remains healthy.

“I would say Gustav is making really good progress with his recovery and rehabilitation so for him, we are now aiming for a repeat of Kona.

For Gustav, the focus is on rehabilitation and getting back to a place where he is moving into Kona stronger than he has ever been before.”