Anja Krueger won Manitoba’s first medal of the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
Anja earned a Silver medal in the Women’s Sprint Triathlon at the Canada Games!
Anja has been a strong competitor all season, winning events in Manitoba and abroad, and has proven her strength again today racing 30 of Canada’s best female triathletes on a national stage.
Krueger’s race was exciting from start to finish. With the first swim buoy being only 93m from the start, the field was quite compact causing a lot of contact on the first turn. With less experience in open water swimming Anja didn’t achieve the time she was hoping for, however even with a tough swim she was still 3rd out of the water!
Anja just missed the lead pack getting on the bike, and was riding solo for the first couple of laps. Once Krueger settled on the bike, she was holding a 30 second gap on the lead group all by herself! An impressive feat! The lead pack soon blew apart, and Anja quickly caught several of the girls who had been dropped, forming a group of 4. She proceeded to break away from this group, but had a very unfortunate fall shortly after, due to the rainy conditions and 180° turns. Luckily she was ok and up quickly jumping right back on to her bike! Anja was slightly behind the group she had just dropped, but again pedaled her way back up to them, putting herself in a great position for the start of the run.
Anja took off in 5th place about 1:10 down from the lead group in a 5km run. After the first lap of the run, Anja had already gained 10 seconds on the athlete in 3rd place. Anja continued to make up significant amounts of time on the next 2 laps. With 600m to go Anja was sitting in 4th but gaining on both athletes quickly! Anja dug deep and fought for every step, passing both Sophia Howell and Nata Kolesova to claim second place!!
Anja’s sprint finish was no fluke, but a pointed attack,
“I feel my best performance today was definitely the run. I tried to be smart about my approach to attacking the athletes in second and third by staying calm and relaxed throughout most of the run. I wanted to make sure I had enough in the tank to not just pass them, but to make a safe gap before the finish.”
A strategic approach to a fantastic silver medal finish!
Anja Krueger is Manitoba’s first medalist of the games and she couldn’t be happier! “It feels absolutely amazing!” Even in Anjas podium moment she was quick to acknowledge all her fellow athletes for the hard work everyone has put in to reach this level of competition.
“I am very proud not only of myself but all the athletes at the games, it’s really amazing to be surrounded by people who understand what it takes to get here.”
Even in the spotlight Anja demonstrates great sportsmanship and character!
You make Manitoba Proud, Congratulations Anja!
