One year on, the Tokyo Olympics are finally taking place, albeit without a national or international audience (fourth in a series of twelve).
Our 12-strong Team Lëtzebuerg has athletes competing in athletics, cycling, swimming, equestrianism, table tennis, triathlon and archery.
FYI: The so-called “cadre élite” comprises those athletes who have both participated in a certain number of high-level competitions and either achieved, or been close to achieving, the specific standard set to enter the “high performance” category of their sport (distinguished from “mass sport” or “recreational sport”).
The “cadre promotion” includes athletes who have not yet made the “elite” category but have a realistic chance of doing so within the first 6 years upon admission. This is not achieved by meeting specific criteria, but by their general performance as well as participation in high performance international competitions (within respective age categories and 5th and 6th years of performance).
CYCLING
Kevin Geniets is set to see his first Olympics in Tokyo and joined the ranks of elite sportsmanship in 2020. The 24-year-old Luxembourgish national rides for UCI WorldTeam Groupama–FDJ/LP07 Schifflange and has two national championships under his belt: road race and ITT.
With a dream to go pro from the age of 3 and the actions to match from the age of 6 – when Geniets participated in his first race – Geniets is, of course, proud to represent Luxembourg at the Olympics: “It’s the biggest sporting event in the world. I’m already living my dream and meeting part of my target just by participating.”
“The route is difficult, really difficult,” Geniets admits, “there’s a last hill 50km before the finish line you need to clear. But once you’ve managed that then you’re already through a good portion of the race and a medal could be possible. But it all depends on the day and how you’re feeling.”
Geniets feels ready to climb his Everest – or in this case, cycle his Fuji, and will be competing on the 24th July alongside Michel Ries.
