Hidde has the official NOC-NSF status of International Talent and is therefore an exceptional talent with international potential in triathlon. He was even scouted for this sport. How did that come about? "I played football, judo and athletics until I was 14. So I started running early on, but also cycling. My entire family cycles and when we went on holiday, we always took my small race bike with us so we could go cycling all together. Triathlon came my way at 14 when we did cooper tests in high school to test endurance. Because of my sports background, I did quite well in those tests and at the end of that day I got a wildcard to participate in an NOC-NSF Talent Day. There, athletes get together and you are placed in a certain profile, e.g. tall and strong, or endurance. I ended up in the latter profile. We did all types of tests, our body measurements were measured, they estimated our fitness, etc. After that talent day, I was approached by the triathlon federation asking if I wanted to join a training day sometime. Since then, I have been doing nothing but triathlon. I think it's a great sport!"

Namibia

Last triathlon season, Hidde raced at the World Junior Championships in Montreal. And now? "Last year I was a junior and competed at the European and World Junior Championships. This year, I enter the 'under 23' category and am preparing for the new season. I have already made my competition schedule for the rest of the year, so I more or less know what is coming up." Why did you and the selection go to Namibia for training? "Windhoek, the place where we were in Namibia, is at 1,700 metres altitude. That altitude has a positive effect on training. This is because at altitude, there is less oxygen and after training at altitude for a while, your body adapts to that lack of oxygen. It then starts producing extra red blood cells. That adaptation of the body takes quite a long time, which is why we stayed there for a month. When you finally return to sea level, you still benefit from that altitude because your body is used to training, resting, and recovering with less oxygen. So your physical condition gets a boost and that works positively for the next training block." After that month at altitude, doesn't the body also go back to normal physical condition within a month? "Eventually your body goes back to the normal amount of red blood cells, because the body notices that it is no longer at altitude and no longer needs those extra red blood cells. But your body doesn't do that right away, so you have a period after that altitude training where you can train incredibly well and really can lift  yourself to the next level."