As the World Triathlon podcast hit 10,000 downloads from 87 different countries, the start of 2021 was the perfect opportunity to catch up with Hungary’s Tamas Toth. A fixture on the elite circuit for over a decade, Toth is also one of two athlete representatives on the Executive Board, able to help shape the course of the sport with full voting rights along with Japan’s Ai Ueda. It’s not an easy juggling act, but it is a critical role that the 31-year-old relishes to ensure the athlete’s voices are heard…

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“I realised that so many athletes were talking about the same issues and I started to think about how I can solve them, how I can help. I got into the Athletes Committee and became Chair during the second term, so I cannot get closer to the fire, but it’s what I should do.”

“When the pandemic arrived I needed to stay focussed on myself too but I was getting all the latest updates on the race situations, and feeling the unhappiness of the athletes given all the uncertainty. It was a difficult time for me as a person and as an athlete. I had a lot of mixed feelings. Not trying to please everyone was an important lesson to learn. If I cant achieve what I want i take it really personally, but that proves i’m doing my best to represent the athletes.”

“For me it was a good chance to focus on myself and my family taking training as I wanted, and the mental freedom of going out for a three-hour ride and not stressing about the times. I really rebooted myself and my brain and I can really feel that I’m fresh and hungry again which was missing a bit the past few years.”

As for what is being achieved behind the scenes for the development of the sport, Toth has no doubt about where the sport is going. “I feel lucky and thankful for past Executive Board members and Les McDonald that we have achieved such good governance. At the Athletes Forum in 2019 I realised how well things are being run because people were coming to me for advice. We have to work hard to maintain that good governance, but I can say with confidence that we are leading the way.”

The decision-making processes on the board of an International Federation took some getting used to, but it is something Hungary’s Rio 2016 Olympian has clearly enjoyed. “When you’re doing something for yourself in life, you can just go ahead and do it, but it was a learning process that things can move slower, you have to get into the details of subjects. But i’m confident we will achieve and reach so many things and really satisfy the athletes with the results. I have to realise that sometimes I don’t agree 100% with people but I understand their point of view. It is really good to sit among these people and to be learning all the time.”

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