AusTriathlon. Paris 2024: Willian willing to fight for Olympic dream one
Photo credit: World Triathlon
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From the time Luke Willian started running along the banks of the Brisbane River as a kid, he had the Olympics on his mind, dreaming “one day, I could do that.”
A Queensland kid born and bred, running and riding around the Morningside village suburb of Hawthorne, nestled against the banks of the brown snake.
At 27, he has finally made that dream come true, despite the hurdles that would have stopped so many others in their tracks.
Willian is one of three Games debutants alongside Natalie van Coevorden and Sophie Linn, the trio joining Tokyo Olympian Matt Hauser on the Australian team for triathlon’s sixth Games appearance.
After missing selection for the Tokyo 2020 Games, Willian was shattered, convinced he had done enough and that he was still worth a shot at the Games after missing an automatic place.
His fate left in the hands of selectors who thought differently.
It was a brutal blow that took time for him to process, but he came back with a steely determination to take things into his own hands this time around.
A powerhouse performance to claim bronze in the World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama, securing his spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“I said to myself if automatic nomination is what I have to do then that’s what I’m going to do,” Willian said.
“I just kept persevering, it paid off on that day. All those emotions, it was almost a relief that I was able to take my destiny into my hands and stamp my ticket to Paris. I had done it and there were no questions.
“I told my mum and dad, you can book your tickets now. And then I called my girlfriend and said “Izzi. I’ve done it, we’re off to Paris!
“It’s been a lifelong dream, it’s been my goal ever since I started the sport 15 years ago. It’s been such a long journey, and this has always been the goal. I failed the first time I went for it, but to achieve it the second time around makes it all the more special.”
His bronze medal in Yokohama set the stage for a remarkable rise to the top of the World Triathlon Championship Series. 8th in Cagliari and 11th in Hamburg now sees Willian head into the Olympic Games top of the series rankings
It is a far cry from his 2023 season, where he couldn’t catch a break – the best of his result a 28th place finish in Pontevedra.
That year was a tough pill to swallow for Willian. He battled through injuries, struggled with consistency, and faced setbacks that left him questioning his future in the sport.
“I had spent most of last year either injured or sick and just could not get a break and then I finally get home to Brisbane injury free and get back into the consistency of training every day and I’ve come out flying,” Willian said.
“I have improved but not as much as people think. I just wanted it badly, I was so determined. It’s just the way I am.
Willian, now well-established as the second man of Australia’s Olympic triathlon team, forms a formidable duo with his roommate and fellow Queenslander Matt Hauser.
The pair stood together on the podium in Yokohama, Hauser securing silver.
Adding to the men’s momentum, Hauser’s recent gold in Hamburg propelled him to second place in the World Triathlon Championship Series standings – just behind Willian.
As Australia looks towards Paris, there are promising signs for the men, although the elusive Olympic medal in the event remains unclaimed for the green and gold.
And while Hauser has declared he want to be the first, Willian says he is just as eager.
“A medal in Paris would be so special. That’s what I’m aiming for,” Willian said.
“We’ve got a couple of chances to do it with me and Hauser. It would be even more special doing it with another Aussie on the podium.
“We both want to see each other do the best we can do, and we support each other to do that. We’ve been on this journey since we were juniors racing each other, to now be able to do it in Paris is special.”
Willian will head to Paris with lifelong coach Warwick Dalziel by his side, a partnership that has been through thick and thin for 16 years since Willian joined Dalziel when he was 11.
A tearaway youngster who would run and keep running, winning the open cross country at St Lawrence’s Boys College as a junior, the sports master bending the rules to get little Luke a start.
Little did he know the journey he would have to travel to fulfil those childhood dreams – dreams instilled in him by watching the likes of Cathy Freeman, Ian Thorpe, and the Campbell girls – Cate and Bronte.
“It’s now up to me to make my own moment like them too. When the kids watch those moments, like I did, they stay in your head forever,” Willian said.
“And when you grow up you think ‘I want to do something like that one day’ show those kids that they too can go out and do it.
“It has always been my goal to go to the Olympics and to finally get there; it means so much.
“And to do it in Paris – one of the most visual cities in the world, racing around all those amazing landmarks an in the Seine, so much history there. I’m so excited for it.”
