In an exclusive, no holds barred, interview with 220 Triathlon magazine Gordon Ramsay reveals how he really felt about his dramatic, very public, withdrawal from Kona and answers his critics about why he should compete in Hawaii.
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“I took a lot of flak for not qualifying, but I never made out I was an elite athlete and I’m not depriving anyone of a place,” said the celebrity chef.
“Down the line I’d like to silence my critics and take six to nine months off and bust my arse to qualify.”
He credits tri as life saving in this personal interview, and reveals how abuse from spectators at the 2001 London Marathon, and the early death of his father, spurred him to get fit.
“I remember coming past mile 22 and people shouting ‘hey Ramsay, you fat bastard, you’re not so hard now,’ and asking me if I’d lost my sports bra. I was 17-stone and when I got back it was dark. Aged 34, I needed to get my ‘shit’ together. My father died of a heart attack at 53 and would still be living today had he taken care of himself.”