Triathlete Murray wants to go to Paris on behalf of the Netherlands, but is looking for a birth certificate
NOS Sports•
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Luuk Blijboom
NOS editor in Munich
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Luuk Blijboom
NOS editor in Munich
It is that he has not yet completed his integration course to become a Dutch citizen. Otherwise, South African-born triathlete Richard Murray would probably have been aware of what is meant in the Netherlands by the saying ‘shared smart is half smart’.
Following the example of his husbands Rachel Klamer, who ended her sixteenth unsuccessfully, also turned for the 33rd first official championship, his father new country the Netherlands on a deception .
The 37th place, 4.50 minutes behind the French winner Léo Bergere, was below his means, the number 4 of the Olympic triathlon of Rio 2016 could not announce. There are plenty of mitigating circumstances, none of that. Murray didn’t want to play it out as an excuse.
In Munich it was the first time in three years that he returned to action at the Olympic distance (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run). But it was especially only the second time since his heart surgery in mid-2021 that again at the start of a competition.
Frenchman Bergere wins triathlon in Munich, best Dutchman in 37th place
In May last year, eight weeks before the postponed Tokyo Olympics, he revealed that he was suffering from atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat. “In rust, my wrist would sometimes go from 50 to 180 and back again,” Murray recalled.
surgery
The early end of his career was announced. Until he requested a second opinion from his Dutch trainer Louis Dehaye. A linear intervention in a hospital in the Netherlands, three months after the second diagnosis, subsequently guaranteed a restart of his career.
If he had to start over, Murray reasoned, then it would have to be done in the Netherlands, the country where he and Klamer already lived. With the man from Cape Town in the ranks, the Dutch triathlon has to polish up the damaged blazon again.
Murray watched the controversy surrounding his sport from a distance at the end of November. In his own words, he was not aware of the abuses that take place in the Dutch triathlon.
Yes, he said in Munich, he understands that the tough laws of top sport may not be experienced as pleasant by everyone. “Wrong comments really matter now. It’s just how you deal with them afterwards.”
jerks
It was during this period that Murray caused a stir with a message on social media. He posted a photo of himself on Twitter with a telling text in English: ‘Top-level sport is difficult…Take it.’
Those words had denounced charges against the Dutch triatories, Zoe Murray Saturday. What does he do with it?
“Everywhere you go you have whiners who whine and complain. People who participate in top sports often forget to enjoy themselves. Look at the nice things. Feel privileged. And perform.”
My birth certificate was lost in South Africa and no one knows where to find it.
It is this message that he would like to send to his new compatriots. Thanks to the help of the global federation World Triathlon, the transition from South Africa to the Netherlands was officially confirmed in March 2022 after an emergency procedure, even though he does not yet have a new passport. In any case, it gave him the opportunity to play for his new homeland for the first time in June, during a match in Leeds.
Murray sees a golden future for the Dutch triathlon, especially in the mixed relay. It is the number he withdrew from in Munich to avoid overload on Sunday. But it is mainly the discipline Klamer, Maya Kingma, Jorik van Egdom and Marco van der Stel last year in Olympic Tokyo as fourth.
Ambiance
In his view, with him as a replacement for Van der Stel, the possibilities for Paris 2024 are unprecedented. “At least, when the atmosphere in the national selection clears up in time.”
“The tribe is not good. Nobody talks to each other. One lives here, the other there. There is no cohesion. Perhaps the new guidance and recently appointed coaches can ensure that the triathletes finally gain confidence in each other. It would be nice when there is finally a better organization in the Netherlands.”
Murray is still not sure of participating in the Paris Olympics. He does not have the right papers to become a Dutch citizen.
“My birth certificate has been lost in South and Africa no one knows where to find that document. My brother has had the same problem.
“It will be difficult to get everything to order on time, partly because I travel a lot for my sport.” Laughing: “Maybe we should really get to work when we get home from this European Championship. Because time is starting to run out.”