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I’m thrilled to have current Heptathlon world champion and European indoor pentathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson as today’s interview! As a heptathlete, Katarina competes across seven different events – 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m sprint, long jump, javelin and 800m track – and is currently gearing up for this summer’s rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo.

In this quick-fire Q&A, 28-year-old KJT, who is a bulk ambassador, fields my questions on the emotional rollercoaster that is preparing for an on-off-on Olympics, the challenges of training across seven events during lockdown, and the importance of goal-setting.

Team USA triathlete Khadijah Diggs didn’t find her calling in triathlon until 2012 when she first dipped her toe into the sport as a novice at the age of 40 (on a fixed-gear bike she only bought the week before!). Since then, she’s made up for lost time and is a regular fixture on the USA long course Triathlon and aquathlon teams, after becoming the first African-American woman and Hijabi to represent the USA in both disciplines.

Despite her success, Khadijah has faced hurdles just to compete wearing her head-to-toe race kit and hijab – even when wearing her official and approved USA triathlon kit. Undeterred, she has made it her mission to change the landscape of triathlon and encourage more Muslim and African-American women to take up the sport – more recently through launching the Diversity Inclusion Syndicate by Khadijah (D. I. S. K.) which we cover in more detail in the Q&A below.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that this triathlon trailblazer is a mother of 10 who works fulltime and is homeschooling! Go, Khadijah!

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Gold medallist swimmer Claire Cashmore made her Paralympic debut at the 2004 Athens Paralympics when she was just 16. Born without her left forearm, breaststroke swimmer Claire won gold and silver at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Looking for a new challenge after Rio, Claire turned to paratriathlon with great success and is the current ITU Paratriathlon World Champion. 

Now, with her sights set on Tokyo 2021, Claire, who is an INCUS athlete and uses her INCUS Nova device to track her training, took time out of her preparations to talk about navigating the Covid rollercoaster, switching to multisport from swimming, and the challenges of training in lockdown.

When Suzie Cave decided to try her hand at modern pentathlon, the 30-year-old had never touched a pistol or a fencing sword and had no swimming experience. As a result, she had to learn three new sports from scratch and juggle training for five (modern pentathlon includes fencing, swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting and running). All whilst working a fulltime job.

The dedication paid off and Suzie quickly qualified for the GB team, going on to win gold at the Masters World Championship. In 2019, the 361° ambassador made her debut in the newly created category of triathle, winning the title of British Senior Triathle champion before taking bronze in the European Championships and fifth in the Triathle World Championships.

Find out more about triathle along with Suzie’s training and experience in our interview below.

Hi friends, 

As I’m currently having to homeschool my kids whilst working (*exasperated face*), I’m taking a brief break from posting. Check back on the 10^th Feb when normal service should resume.

I have lots of awesome women in the pipeline 🙂

Stay safe!

Katie x

© Twila Federica Muzzi

Trinidadian Pro cyclist and two-time U23 Pan American Champion Teniel Campbell is only 23 but has three pro stage wins (Tour of Thailand and Kreic Breizh Elite Dames), Olympic qualification and a new contract with Team BikeExchange to her name. However, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s been an easy ride for the talented cyclist.

From training at 5am before school to being denied funding for the 2017 Caribbean Championships (from which she returned with two gold medals), Teniel has overcome countless hurdles to achieve her cycling dream. After being talent-spotted and invited by UCI president David Lappartient on a scholarship to the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland in 2018, Teniel has continued to pursue her cycling goals with relentless drive and a smile on her face.

I’m thrilled that Teniel, who is based in Girona, agreed to answer my questions about her journey to pro cyclist.

Dutch athlete Nienke Oostra competed in elite MTB and Xterra triathlon until she was forced to retire from racing in 2017 due to chronic nerve pain. After being devastated by the decision, she shifted her focus to longer adventure challenges whilst still living in pain.

Last year she embarked on a world-first mountain bike traverse of the Himalayan Trail high route in Nepal and became the first person to mountain bike the 1800km journey from west to east, completing it in 8 weeks. When her adventure partner quit early on in the ride, Nienke forged ahead solo, overcoming extreme hike-a-bike conditions, vertical landslides, 12-hour ride/hike-a-bike days and temperatures as low as -20C. In total, she climbed 85,000 vertical metres of ascent during the 8-week journey, which she shares more about in the interview below.

Wow, what a year it’s been. Thanks for all the shares and reads of Lessons in Badassery throughout the chaos of 2020. I’ll be bringing you more stories of incredible women in 2021, but for now I’m going to take a couple of weeks off to spend Christmas and New Year with my family.

Normal service will resume on Wednesday 6^th January, and I have some exciting interviews in the pipeline for the New Year and beyond.

Until then I wish you a happy Christmas and a 2021 full of health, happiness and hugs with your loved ones.

Katie x

© Jackie Fiero

When she was just 16, Mahina Maeda made headlines in the surfing community when she tow-surfed Nazare, becoming the youngest woman to do so. Now 22, Mahina, who hails from the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii, has accumulated three World Junior Championship titles and competes as a pro surfer representing her parents’ home country of Japan.

Mahina has also just joined the team at the Vitamin Sea Collective, a female members-only online community from the all-women team behind SurfGirl Magazine. The site focuses on the positive benefits of the ocean and covers fitness, surfing, wellbeing and nutrition, with live classes and tutorials where experts such as Mahina share their knowledge and tips. 

Looking ahead to the Olympics next year, I put some quick-fire questions to Mahina on training, Nazare and Japan 2021.

London-based ‘Auntie’ Dora Atim is a Nike + run coach whose running experience spans everything from short distance events to marathons and beyond. In 2017, Dora was part of a team that completed The Speed Project, a non-stop relay 340-miles from LA to Las Vegas. Not put off by the experience, she then returned to do it all again the following year! Dora also knows how to rock a look and we love the big dose of personality and style she injects into our Instagram feed.

Earlier this year, Dora founded Ultra Black Running with the aim of increasing representation within trail running, mountain and ultrarunning, while also creating a community for black women and black non-binary people. 

You can find out more about Ultra Black Running in the interview below where we also dive into Dora’s training, love of style and her experience running The Speed Project.