Rachel Klamer Rachel Klamer

Rachel Klamer

Hometown: Beuningen (Netherlands)

Rachel Klamer

Age: 32

Hometown: Beuningen (Netherlands)

'Follow your heart and put all its energy into achieving your goals' Rachel Klamer

Rachel's Story

Rachel Klamer, a professional triathlete hailing from the Netherlands, has represented her country twice in the Olympic Games. In 2009, she achieved a remarkable third-place finish at the Junior World Championships, marking her entry onto the national and international stage. The preceding year, Rachel showcased her talent by securing victory in both the National Triathlon Championships (Junior) held in Aalsmeer and the Duathlon Championships (Junior) in Oss. Demonstrating her ambition, she began competing in the Elite category at the age of 17 and achieved a commendable 10th place in the British Elite Super Series.

Rachel's achievements continued to soar, as evidenced by her silver medal win in the women's triathlon event at the inaugural European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015. Subsequently, she attained significant accomplishments at the highest level of competition. Notable among these accomplishments is her triumphant performance at WTS Abu Dhabi in 2018. In 2019, Rachel secured fourth-place finishes in both WTS Hamburg and the Lausanne Grand Final, consolidating her standing among the sport's elite. She has also garnered multiple podium finishes in the Super League Triathlon Series, further cementing her status as a top-tier triathlete.

Rachel Klamer Athlete Bio

GREATEST CHALLENGES:
A combination of factors hasn’t made the last three years easy. Losing my mom, a husband with heart issues and a chronic injury for myself. Dealing with all of these has not been easy, but I keep going.

SEASON GOALS:
My main goal for the 2023 season is trying to qualify for my 4th Olympics.

KEY RESULTS:
My biggest achievement was a fourth place at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

STRONGEST DISCIPLINE:

My strongest discipline has changed over the years. When I started it used to be swimming and running, but swimming is not my strongest discipline anymore. The strongest discipline changes a bit between cycling and running.

Rachel Klamer Athlete Bio

TOP 3 SWIM TIPS FOR SOMEONE GETTING STARTED IN TRIATHLON:

  • Don't forget to work on your technique. Do drills and have someone take videos of you so you can see what possibly is going wrong.
  • Swim open water so you get used to this in racing.
  • Train all distances: sprints to get a fast start, longer distances to get endurance. 

WHICH ZONE3 KIT DO YOU RECOMMEND THE MOST/HAVE FOUND THE MOST USEFUL:

ZONE3 has great wetsuits for every type of swimmer. I also really like their swimming costumes.

FUN FACT:

I really enjoy looking at old buildings and possibly learning the history behind them.

Triathlon has become a big part of my life. Pretty much my whole day is planned around it. I have met many new people and visited many new places. I've learned a lot about myself: who I really am and what I really want. Even when I retire, triathlon will never be 'just a sport' but 'part of my life'.