We are back on our blog with a new entry and a new Olympian!! This time you can learn more about Belen Toimil!! She has kindly shared part of her busy schedule with us and we feel so thankful for it. Belen is a shot put Olympic athlete that participated in Tokyo 2020, and she has recently smashed the Spanish shot put record with 18.80 metres.
She qualified for the world champions in London 2017 and was 7th in the European Indoor Championships in Poland in 2021. Belen is very easy-going and energetic as you can see in one of her last interviews at “La Resistencia”, a famous Spanish program. And our top physiotherapist Alejandro Torres has had the pleasure of interviewing her! Here we leave you with the transcript, enjoy!
Hello, Belén! Welcome to TankToppers and thank you for stopping by. It is a luxury to have you here with us.
Hey, you are the fashionable smile of Spanish athletics. The rest of the pitchers tend to show a very serious face during the competition. How do you go about shooting almost 19 meters in just seconds?
First of all, thank you for your words and for having me for the interview!
Shot put fascinates me, it is a discipline that allows you to transmit all your strength to an artefact and make it go very far. When you notice in the final part that you are pushing the ball well, you know it can be a good launch and it is addictive! I get such an adrenaline rush when I hit a good shot.
A discipline as technical as shot put has many aspects to take into account: strength training, power, throwing biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, etc. What is your strong point and where do you think you can grow the most?
As in all sports, the specific training of your discipline is not enough to achieve 100% of what you are capable of. Everything you do counts and it is important to dedicate work to every factor to achieve good results.
In my case, I think that what I do best is strength training in the gym, I have improved a lot in recent years. And what I’m focusing on the most right now is the spinning technique. I’m still getting used to it and I think I have a lot of room for improvement to throw with an efficient technique.
To get the non-professional athletes jealous, What is it like to live inside an Olympic Village?
It is a completely different world as if you were in a movie, I don’t know…
I get excited just thinking that I have been in the national team with so many great athletes. Going to the dining room or going for a walk and knowing that you’ve just come across more than one Olympic medallist is incredible. The environment that is created is very beautiful, everyone there is fulfilling their dream.
Are you dreaming of something even bigger for Paris 2024?
I really want to go to an Olympic final. I tend to be ambitious with my results but being an Olympic finalist would be the best athletics could give me after so many years of dedication.
Let’s say goodbye with our usual cheeky test so we can get you to know better:
The exercise that you would make someone you don’t like to do: Front Squat
Your last ‘cheat meal’: Hamburger and fries
A pre-competition habit: Coffee and music
An alternative sport to yours: Rowing drift
A place where you have not raced and would like to do it: Stadio Dei Marmi, in Rome
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