Gómez Noya follows a new diet plan to avoid flatulence
One point, an intestinal discomfort can ruin years of work in triathlon, as in other sports. Javier Gómez Noya knows this, as he has suffered flatus at key moments in his career, on some days of extreme heat. And he fights it these days as if he were the worst of his rivals, with a stricter eating plan than ever. He has just arrived in London to compete on Sunday in the penultimate round of the World Championship, fine-tuning all the details, further polishing habits that he already rigorously monitored. Because the problem that he noticed in Pontevedra stopped him again in Hamburg a few weeks ago. «There I felt discomfort of that type again. I want to compete again without problems, and win or congratulate whoever surpasses me after giving everything," explains the Ferrolano, leader of the world ranking and whose form announces good news for the next races.
After various consultations, Gómez Noya has been adopting new habits for a few weeks, consisting mainly of taking extreme precautions that he already took before. For example, avoid orange juice in the morning, eat four hours before the start of a competition - instead of three -, and avoid flatulent vegetables, sauces, heavy foods and dairy products, as the triathlete explains. and his work team. He also places even more emphasis on aspects such as hydration. He cannot drink during meals, but can drink before and after in many short meals.
Possible intolerance
«Flatus happens to me sometimes and no one really knows why. It happens to me in the heat, that's true, but not every time I compete in those conditions. I have always taken great care of my diet. Maybe I should undergo studies to check if I now suffer from an intolerance to some food, which perhaps I didn't have before or it wasn't detected," explains the double world champion, who suffered flatus at the Beijing Olympic Games and finished fourth.
«It is difficult to know how the body reacts. This is not a disease either,” adds the Ferrolano, who does not take medications to combat gases. «In competition you push your body to the maximum, and other people react by vomiting or with other disorders. Maybe the position on the bike encourages them to park it and start running the final ten thousand on foot," adds Gómez Noya.
Better without extreme heat
In the European Championship in Pontevedra and in the World Championship event in Hamburg, he was affected by the flatus. That's why he pursues a remedy. Last Sunday, in an international event in Banyoles, he won without gastric discomfort. A good sign. The weather forecast for Sunday in London gives him hope. «Maximum temperatures of 18 or 19 degrees are announced, with a 30% chance of rain. Better this way, although the water would make the bike section more slippery," adds the man from Ferrol, who already suffered a fall in Sydney this year before staging a spectacular comeback and winning the race.
His circle also points to a diarrheal episode suffered in May as a possible trigger for the discomfort of recent months, in which he felt more bloated than usual during training sessions and after meals.
Source: lavozdegalicia.es