Interview: Portuguese triathlete Vasco Vilaça on chasing the Paris dream

Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça, who turned 24 just before Christmas, enjoyed a stellar 2023 season, finishing on the podium at World Triathlon Series races in Abu Dhabi, Yokohama and Hamburg, plus the Paris Olympic Test Event.

It left him in third heading into September’s Championship Final in Pontevedra, Spain, and with a shot at the world title.

A disappointing 15th saw him finish fourth overall, but Vilaça dusted himself off to finish his season with victory in Rome at the World Triathlon Cup.

Here, we talk idolising a triathlon legend, the quest for Paris qualification and the scars of a seal…

Vasco on his background in tri…

220: Where do we speak to you?

VV: I’m in Sweden. Officially, I live here, though I spend a lot of time in Girona with the JFT squad [coach Joel Filliol’s]. I was born and raised in Portugal, but my parents moved here when I was 13 and I’ve lived here ever since.

It’s how I’ve ended up speaking Swedish and Portuguese, plus English. I’m also learning Spanish. When you travel the world as much as we do, it’s useful to communicate!

220: When did you take up triathlon?

VV: Very young. I was six or seven. My parents encouraged me and were inspired by Vanessa Fernandes [who won the world title in 2007 and won a record 20 World Cups].

She attracted huge media attention in Portugal because she won so many races; it seemed like she was on radio and television every other day.

220: Have you met her?

VV: Yes, many years later, she was part of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, the team I’ve raced for in Portugal for many years.

In 2018, she actually tried to come back for the Tokyo Olympics and my sister was training alongside her in the same squad. I learnt a lot about high performance from Vanessa.

220: Is your sister still racing?

VV: No. She moved to cycling two years ago. She’s very smart, did well at school and is studying medicine, so it proved difficult to balance triathlon and education.

She needed a school system that would let her travel, study and race, and she didn’t really have that in Portugal.

220: Talk us through your evolution as a triathlete…

VV: I started to win races when I was eight years old. I did well domestically and then won the National Junior Championships and European Junior Championships in 2017.

I remember the following season I raced World Cups in Sarasota [America] and then Salinas [Ecudaor], and then flew to Madeira for a European Cup.

Even though the races didn’t go that well, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do for a living’. It’s a beautiful lifestyle and you make some great friends.

Vasco on that seal incident…

220: Our audience might know you best for being bitten by a seal in the Malibu leg of the 2022 Super League! How was it returning to the scene of the attack in late September [where Vasco would finish fifth]?

VV: When I got into the water in Malibu I was a little afraid; in fact, that fear was strong at the start of the season but eased as the year went on. Then again, if anything touched me in the water, I’d jump.

Last year, I went swimming by myself and that’s when it happened. So, this year I ensured I’d swim with people. In one training swim I was 50m out and Beth [Potter] touched my foot and I freaked out!

Vasco on his race choices…

220: Rome was your last race of the season. How come you chose not to finish in Neom in the Super League?

VV: I only competed in Malibu because a spot became available. I wanted to focus 100% on the World Series, not only for Olympic qualification, but because I was fighting for the title.

220: Malibu was just a week after the disappointment of the Grand Final in Pontevedra. How do you reflect on that race now?

VV: Immediately after I was disappointed in myself. I’d enjoyed an incredible season that included many podia and I was fighting for the title… and then I fell off the series podium. Now, I’ve accepted that I failed.

To have that Super League race in Malibu helped me get over it quicker. And then I flew from to Rome and had a good race there, which also helped.

All in all, I missed a good opportunity but I must learn from the experience. But I trust in the process and must remain healthy as I got sick in Pontevedra.

Vasco on qualifying for Paris…

220: Looking forward to the Paris Olympics next summer, what’s the qualifying criteria for Portugal?

VV: The first spot goes to the highest in the Olympic ranking. If we have a second athlete, it goes to someone on the World Series podium. I finished fourth so that’s what I missed.

Next up is to win a round of the World Series next year, so that’s one of the goals. But things look good at the moment because I’m fourth in the Olympic ranking.

Before anything else, if you podium in a World Series relay, whoever’s in that relay qualifies. I think the only relay is Abu Dhabi next year. If I’m not there and Portugal make the podium, I don’t qualify.

220: Oof, that’s tough! So what’s your race schedule leading up to Paris?

VV: That’s not finalised yet but it’s pretty much World Series until the Games [the men’s race is on 30 July 2024].

220: If you make the team, will you be heading to a holding camp before the Games like the British squad [who will be outside Bordeaux]?

VV: No, I went to altitude at Font Romeu with our JFT squad. We might do that again this year and come down two weeks before Paris.

It’s dictated by races as we’d want to be in Font Romeu for three or four weeks plus in Girona right before the Olympics. That’s pretty much the plan but nothing with the federation.

Vasco on his idols…

220: If you could steal another triathlete’s abilities, whose would you steal and why?

VV: That’s a hard question but maybe Alex Yee’s run, Vincent Luis’ swim, Jonas Schomberg’s transitions and Kristian Blummenfelt’s bike!

220: Finally, which athlete(s) do you most look up to?

VV: It has to be [Javier] Gomez. I’ve met him and he’s my greatest idol.

Top image credit: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images