Jens-Michael Gossauer is the Swiss medal hope at the Powerman Zofingen. The 32-year-old has already won two World Championship silver medals (2021 and 2019) and one World Championship bronze medal (2024) in the long-distance duathlon. In this interview, he talks about the challenge of juggling top-class sport and a job and why he could win World Championship gold this year.
You started out as a soccer player for FC Davos, how did you end up in the sport of duathlon?
Through my father, I took part in running competitions a few times a year as a young boy. When I took part in the Greifensee Run at the age of 16, LC Uster contacted me and accepted me into their training group. From then on, I trained more regularly and stopped playing football. I was quickly successful as a junior. When it came to making the leap to elite level, I had to deal with overuse injuries more and more frequently. During one of the injury breaks, I bought my first racing bike and quickly realized that cycling actually suited me better than running. I soon set myself the goal of combining the two sports and trying my hand at the duathlon.
What do you like about the sport of duathlon?
The informal atmosphere at the Swiss competitions. Although the number of participants is unfortunately very small, we usually have a very high standard at the duathlon starts in Switzerland, which I really appreciate. In the competition itself, I like the many tactical possibilities that a duathlon race offers.
As a 32-year-old, you are at a good age for endurance sports. Do you notice this in your performance?
I notice that I have more basic endurance than when I was younger. As I started cycling relatively late, I’m still improving with every season. However, I have to admit that I’m already recovering less well than when I was 20.
Duathlon means a lot of training, how do you reconcile this with your job as a physiotherapist?
It’s not always easy. I can tell that I don’t have the same amount of energy after a long day at work as I do when I can concentrate fully on sport. In summer, I usually have a bit more vacation time to be able to intensify my training.
You do endurance sports but struggle with asthma. How do you deal with it?
I don’t actually have asthma. Due to a severe pollen allergy, there are days or weeks in spring when I experience asthma-like symptoms when I’m under a lot of pressure. Fortunately, this is never an issue at the Powerman Zofingen in September.
Your preparations for the Powerman Zofingen have gone very well so far. You won the Swiss duathlon title and three other victories this season (Linthathlon, Grenchenberglauf and Duathlon Wallisellen). How do you rate your form?
I’m very happy with the season so far. I’m not yet where I need to be at the beginning of September, but I’m working on that.
What does your final preparation for the Powerman Zofingen look like?
I spend most of my time in the mountains so that I can prepare in peace and, ideally, also take advantage of the altitude effect.
You’ve already won two World Championship silver medals and last year’s bronze in Zofingen. So the only thing missing is gold?
That is true. But it’s not what I’ll be thinking about during the race in Zofingen.
You know the Powerman Zofingen very well thanks to several participations. Do you still have any particular respect for this tough race?
Maybe I’ve had a bit too much respect in the past and have been rather conservative in my racing. I have learned my lessons from every participation and hope that all the pieces of the puzzle will fit together this year. Having the necessary respect for the various challenges of this race is part of it.
Jens-Michael Gossauer (left) has already stood on the podium three times in Zofingen.