Tyler Mislawchuk was meme fodder for the internet after the Canadian Olympian threw up after competing in a triathlon. The triathlon consisted of a 1,500-meter swim, a 40-kilometer cycling race, and a 10-kilometer run. Mislawchuk finished in the top 10, coming in ninth place. At the time, some internet dwellers used the moment to make jokes -- as the internet does. However, in an interview with Triathlon Magazine, Mislawchuk wanted to set the record straight.
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Mislawchuk started to falter near the final four kilometers of the running leg of the triathlon. "For me, whether I was fourth or 55th it doesn't really matter. I tried to win a medal and I went out there and was basically in third place with the two French guys for five and a half or 6 km," Mislawchuk stated.
"At my last Olympics there was the injury and with all the stuff that happened there was a lot of 'what ifs.' I have no 'what ifs' on the day, I went for it, it was absolutely everything."
Olympian Tyler Mislawchuk Reminisces On His Triathlon Performance
Mislawchuk, understandably, blamed his violent vomiting fits on the hot weather. "I vomited 10 times after the race ... it got hot in the last laps." Through it all, however, Mislawchuk wanted everyone to know that he has zero regrets about his ninth-place finish when it was all said and done!
"First I want to thank my supporters around the world. Without them, I wouldn't be here. I'm just a kid from Winnipeg, well, specifically Oak Bluff, where it's -50 in the winter, and I'm here at the Summer Olympics. You know, I came fourth at the Manitoba Games, I couldn't even get on the podium there," Mislawchuk says.
"15 years later, I'm fighting for a medal at the Olympics. For me, I did everything I could over the last three years. I came back from an Achilles tear, concussion, crashes. You name it, I've had it in the last three years. I got to the start line healthy and gave it my all, I'm proud of the effort. You want more, but that's all I had."
That last part is so powerful. "You want more, but that's all I had." Your "best" at any given moment is a fluid matter. As long as you give everything you have when you can give it, that's always enough!
