Episode four of Dare to Dream: The Next Move was released on Wednesday 27 August, starring Denmark’s latest young talent to come off the country’s impressive triathlon production line: Laura Madsen. Aged just 22, she was awarded a T100 Hot Shot contract for 2025 off the back of some sterling debuts last year, but a serious back injury derailed all the early-season plans. Running was put on hold entirely, the Hot Shot was iced.
At August’s T100 London, Madsen was finally let loose and racing once again. This is the story of how watching her father – now coach – racing in Kona shaped her formative years into the world of triathlon, and how she finds herself now battling her way to feeling at home racing among idols.
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“I started as an age grouper in 2022, which for me seems like a long time ago. It's a bit unreal to be able to already perform at the top level in this sport. Three years ago, I would have never imagined to be one of the wildcards and now a hot shot on the World tour!”
“It's no secret that I'm from an extremely small town. I've always been private, and I have my inner circle of people and those are the people that I really care about. So to suddenly be on television and, yeah, being in the spotlight, so to say, has been difficult.”
Growing up riding the straight, flat highways surrounding Norager in the north of Denmark has granted Madsen impressive power, but the move onto more technical courses of the T100 Series has proven challenging.
Throw in the demands of performing at the highest level, and it was no surprise that Madsen’s first race back had built up in her head and the pressure was on: 'I woke up race day morning and went to breakfast with my father and actually I was pretty quiet and he asked me what is wrong, and then I said to him that there was a risk of me getting out of the water last today.'
'But pretty quickly I kind of… I got it shifted in my head and started thinking; ‘okay, you have basically nothing to lose. You have everything to win today.’ And then I went to the swim start. And just did my usual routine before a race... I was nervous but also just excited to finally be on the start line again.'
'We're kind of just stood right behind the presentation and some of the girls were just chatting and smiling and looked like they were just going out for a morning jog or something. And I was thinking to myself, 'why the hell did I sign up for this?'
'Then you're just standing on that pontoon and then 'you're now in the hands of the starter'… And suddenly it's just - BOOM!'
Second from last out of the water after getting caught behind an injured Megan McDonald, from there the race just got better and better for Madsen. Finishing in 11th place and passing Olympic medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown was exactly the kind of boost she needed going into what will hopefully be a much more race-orientated second half of the season.
“Sometimes I've questioned if I am even good enough to be here. I think this injury has kind of taught me that, ‘Laura, you're still quite young. You really just have to enjoy the process’ - and that feels ok.”
Without doubt, the best is still very much to come from Denmark’s bright young Hot Shot.
