About this episode

Manami Iijima shares her journey from Guam to becoming an Olympic triathlete, discussing the challenges and experiences along the way.

For a self-confessed chilled-out Pacific islander, coming to terms with short-course swimming chaos has been a steep learning curve for Guam’s Manami Iijima. We caught up with the Team World Triathlon athlete at the end of the 2025 season to catch up on a whirlwind rise through the sport to the biggest start line of them all. From the development of triathlon in the Pacific region to the tough realities of learning the artform, the country's first ever Olympic triathlete rewinds over a fast-track route to Paris 2024 and her journey through the anxiety of an Olympic debut. Hear about those first international races as a wide-eyed solo traveller and the secret power of not over-thinking... and proudly representing a vast-yet-tiny corner of the Oceania continent. >> The Lava Song (sadly without Manami's ukelele)

People in this episode

Guest: Manami Iijima

Topics covered

• triathlon
• Olympic debut
• Pacific region sports
• athlete journey
• short-course swimming

Keywords

• triathlon
• Olympics
• Guam
• Manami Iijima
• swimming
• athlete
• Paris 2024
• Oceania

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Team World Triathlon

Places: Guam, Oceania

More episodes of The World Triathlon Podcast

• #117 - SAMARKAND PREVIEW SHOW · April 17, 2026 · 1h 1m
• #116 - DAVID CANTERO + FANNI SZALAI · March 18, 2026 · 40 min
• #115 - GEORGIA TAYLOR-BROWN + LANZAROTE WC PREVIEW · March 11, 2026 · 47 min
• #114 - Race Ranger Explained: The triathlon start up switching up racing · February 2, 2026 · 46 min
• #112 - BETH POTTER: What Went Wrong in Wollongong? · December 19, 2025 · 32 min
• #111 - World Champion MATT HAUSER and coach Dan Atkins · December 19, 2025 · 1h 0m

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