Olympian Race Walker Marc Tur

 A new entry in our blog, and a new Olympian! And this is kind of becoming a Tanktoppers classic!!

Today we have Marc Tur sitting on our throne! He is a 2022 world champion racewalker in the 35km distance and European champion in 2021 in the team’s competition. In the Tokyo Olympics 50km distance, he came 4th after an inspiring race where he showed what it means to give absolutely everything in a competition.

Once again our top physiotherapist Alejandro Torres had the pleasure to speak with Marc and he was so kind to find time in his busy schedule for us. Check out the interview below!

Hello, Marc! Welcome to TankToppers and congratulations on your recent achievements. Thank you for finding some time for us being accessible for us, we really appreciate it. So! Almost 4 hours of competition is a heck of a long way. What is in your mind during that time?

Hello, thank you very much for having me. Well, oddly enough, I spent practically the entire competition focused on the strategy. I also pay a lot of attention to my technique and my coach’s orders. As there are many kilometres, I divide the competition into blocks to achieve small goals and forget about the total of 50km, otherwise it would be much harder for me.

Given the situation we are through, 2021 has not been a great year worldwide, but you managed terrific achievements, champion of the European Cup and 4th in the Tokyo Olympics. What are your feelings about 2021?

For me, 2021 has been a dream, I started the year with a clear objective: to qualify for the Olympic Games. To achieve this, I had to give my 100% in all the training sessions and dedicate myself exclusively to race walking. This is how I did it and this is how the results came out. I am very satisfied with the work done and I think that the effort of all these years has been reflected in the European Cup and the Olympic Games. For me it has been an almost perfect season, the only thing I would change would have been the last push of strength in the final stretch of the 50km in Tokyo and getting the Olympic medal.

A few months ago you appeared on the covers of many tabloids in which you were raised as a new LGTBI reference. From TankToppers we applaud you and admire you for that. How important is it in sports and for athletes to be able to publicly acknowledge their sexual orientation?

 I think it is important to give visibility to the LGTBI collective. Since I was little I had many insecurities and fears that over the years have faded thanks, in part, to having gay references in different fields. So if it becomes visible, it gets normalized and you can always help people who are going through a situation similar to the one I was in. Every step counts and although in Spain and Europe, we have made great progress in recent years and there are still many aspects to improve within LGTBI rights 

You hold a Medicine degree, do you plan to make your career as a health worker linked to sports?

When I finished my medical degree, I had to make one of the most difficult choices of my life so far: Choose to continue with high-level sports or dedicate myself fully to medicine and prepare for the medical expertise. In the end, I chose sports to fulfil the dream of being an Olympian. For now, I want to continue with sports, but at the same time I know that this profession has an expiration date, so I continue training in the field of medicine to be ready for when my retirement arrives. I have completed a master’s degree in A&E, focused on providing expertise in ischemic heart disease and I am currently studying for another master’s degree in aesthetic medicine, nutrition,  and management of private clinics. Medicine is a very broad field and many branches interest me, I don’t rule out dedicating myself to sports medicine, and I don’t want to close any door as yet.

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