Nicola Spirig facts for kids
Nicola Spirig at the Sprint World Championships in Lausanne, 2011
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| Nickname(s) | Nic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 February 1982 Winkel, Switzerland |
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| Alma mater | University of Zurich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Reto Hug | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Triathlon, long-distance running | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Brett Sutton (2006- ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on 9 August 2018. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nicola Spirig Hug, born on February 7, 1982, is a famous Swiss athlete. She used to be a professional triathlete and also a lawyer. She won a gold medal at the Olympics in 2012 and has been a European champion six times in women's triathlon.
Contents
Nicola Spirig's Amazing Career
Nicola Spirig has competed in the Olympics five times! She won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and a silver medal in 2016. She also achieved many other great things. She was a Junior World Champion in 2001 and a Junior European Champion in 1999. As an adult, she won the European Championships six times: in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018. When she won in Glasgow in 2018, she was one of the oldest athletes competing!
Nicola was born in Winkel, Switzerland. A very exciting moment for her was on August 4, 2012. She won the gold medal in the Women's Olympic Triathlon! It was a super close race, decided by a photo finish against Lisa Nordén from Sweden.
Between 1998 and 2010, Nicola competed in 72 triathlon events. She finished in the top ten 39 times! In 2010, she won the European Championships. She also won a World Championship Series triathlon in Madrid. She earned a silver medal at another World Championship Series triathlon in London. Overall, she ranked second in the World Championship Series that year.
Nicola's Running and Other Sports
Nicola Spirig is also a talented long-distance runner. In 2014, she finished second at the Swiss Cross-Country Championships. She also ran in the 2014 Neujahrsmarathon Zürich. Later that year, she competed in the marathon at the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zürich. She finished 24th in that race.
In 2021, she placed second in the 10,000 meters at the Swiss National Athletics Championships. Nicola even tried bobsleighing in 2015! She raced on the St. Moritz track with a Swiss team.
Olympic Triathlon Events
Nicola competed in the women's triathlon event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She also took part in the mixed relay event there.
Nicola Spirig's Personal Life
Nicola Spirig lives in Bachenbülach, Switzerland. She has a degree in law. Both her older sister and brother were also high-level athletes. Her parents are physical education teachers.
Nicola is married to Reto Hug, who was also a Swiss triathlete. They have three children: a son born in 2013, a daughter born in 2017, and a third child born in 2019. After her first child was born, Nicola wasn't sure if she would return to triathlon. But just 12 weeks after her third child was born in April 2019, she was back competing! She raced in the World Triathlon Series Grand Final in Lausanne, Switzerland.
ITU Competition Results
The tables below show Nicola Spirig's results in official ITU competitions. These events are triathlons for elite athletes, unless noted otherwise.
Olympic Games Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-08-25 | Summer Olympics | Athens, Greece | 19 |
| 2008-08-18 | Summer Olympics | Beijing, China | 6 |
| 2012-08-04 | Summer Olympics | London, United Kingdom |  |
| 2016-08-20 | Summer Olympics | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  |
| 2021-07-26 | Summer Olympics | Tokyo, Japan | 6 |
World Championships Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-06-23 | World Triathlon | Kitzbühel, Austria | |
| 2012-05-26 | World Triathlon | Madrid, Spain | |
| 2012-04-14 | Dextro Energy World Championships Series | Sydney, Australia | 5 |
| 2011-08-21 | Team World Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| 2011-08-20 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series: Sprint World Championship | Lausanne, Switzerland | 16 |
| 2011-08-06 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | London, United Kingdom | 8 |
| 2011-07-16 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | Hamburg, Germany | 12 |
| 2010-09-08 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series, Grand Final | Budapest, Hungary |  |
| 2010-08-21 | World Championships (Sprint) | Lausanne, Switzerland | 6 |
| 2010-08-14 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | Kitzbühel, Austria | 18 |
| 2010-07-24 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | London, United Kingdom | |
| 2010-06-05 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | Madrid, Spain | |
| 2010-05-08 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | Seoul, South Korea | 4 |
| 2009-08-22 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | Yokohama, Japan | 10 |
| 2009-08-15 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | London, United Kingdom | |
| 2009-07-11 | Dextro Energy World Championship Series | Kitzbühel, Austria | |
| 2007-08-30 | BG World Championships | Hamburg, Germany | 19 |
| 2005-09-10 | World Championships (U23) | Gamagori, Japan | |
| 2004-05-09 | World Championships | Madeira | DNF |
| 2003-12-06 | World Championships | Queenstown, New Zealand | 33 |
| 2002-11-09 | World Championships (U23) | Cancún, Mexico | |
World Cup Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-25 | World Cup | Mooloolaba, Australia | |
| 2010-10-10 | World Cup | Huatulco, Mexico | |
| 2008-09-27 | BG World Cup | Lorient, France | 8 |
| 2008-07-20 | BG World Cup | Kitzbühel, Austria | |
| 2008-04-26 | BG World Cup | Tongyeong, South Korea | 8 |
| 2008-04-13 | BG World Cup | Ishigaki, Japan | 6 |
| 2007-12-01 | BG World Cup | Eilat, Israel | |
| 2007-10-07 | BG World Cup | Rhodes, Greece | 6 |
| 2007-09-15 | BG World Cup | Beijing, China | 7 |
| 2007-07-29 | BG World Cup | Salford, United Kingdom | 10 |
| 2007-07-22 | BG World Cup | Kitzbühel, Austria | 6 |
| 2007-05-13 | BG World Cup | Richards Bay, South Africa | 5 |
| 2007-05-06 | BG World Cup | Lisbon, Portugal | 8 |
| 2007-04-15 | BG World Cup | Ishigaki, Japan | 6 |
| 2007-03-25 | BG World Cup | Mooloolaba, Australia | 17 |
| 2006-11-12 | BG World Cup | New Plymouth, New Zealand | 12 |
| 2006-11-05 | BG World Cup | Cancún, Mexico | 17 |
| 2006-07-23 | BG World Cup | Corner Brook, Canada | DNS |
| 2006-06-11 | BG World Cup | Richards Bay, South Africa | 8 |
| 2006-06-04 | BG World Cup | Madrid, Spain | 17 |
| 2005-09-17 | OSIM World Cup | Beijing, China | 32 |
| 2005-08-06 | World Cup | Hamburg, Germany | DNF |
| 2005-07-31 | World Cup | Salford, United Kingdom | 12 |
| 2005-06-05 | World Cup | Madrid, Spain | 11 |
| 2004-07-25 | World Cup | Salford, United Kingdom | 13 |
| 2004-04-25 | World Cup | Mazatlán, Mexico | 11 |
| 2004-04-11 | World Cup | Ishigaki, Japan | 14 |
| 2003-10-25 | World Cup | Athens, Greece | 24 |
| 2003-10-19 | World Cup | Madeira, Portugal | 17 |
| 2003-09-21 | World Cup | Madrid, Spain | DNF |
| 2003-09-06 | World Cup | Hamburg, Germany | 15 |
| 2003-07-20 | World Cup | Corner Brook, Canada | 11 |
| 2003-07-13 | World Cup | Edmonton, Canada | 19 |
| 2003-06-07 | World Cup | Tongyeong, South Korea | 26 |
| 2002-10-13 | World Cup | Madeira, Portugal | 20 |
| 2002-09-21 | World Cup | Nice, France | 21 |
| 2002-08-31 | World Cup | Lausanne, Switzerland | 15 |
| 2002-07-21 | World Cup | Corner Brook, Canada | 9 |
| 2001-08-25 | World Cup | Lausanne, Switzerland | 9 |
European Championships Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-09 | European Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | |
| 2014-06-20 | European Championships | Kitzbühel, Austria | |
| 2012-04-20 | European Championships | Eilat, Israel | |
| 2010-07-03 | European Championships | Athlone, Ireland | |
| 2009-07-02 | European Championships | Holten, Netherlands | |
| 2008-05-10 | European Championships | Lisbon, Portugal | 4 |
| 2007-06-29 | European Championships | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 2006-06-23 | European Championships | Autun, France | 13 |
| 2005-08-20 | European Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 12 |
| 2005-07-17 | European Championships (U23) | Sofia, Bulgaria | |
| 2004-04-18 | European Championships | Valencia, Spain | 14 |
| 2003-06-21 | European Championships | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic | 12 |
| 2002-07-06 | European Championships | Győr, Hungary | 14 |
European Games Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-13 | 1st European Games | Baku, Azerbaijan | |
European Cups Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08-19 | European Cup | Geneva, Switzerland | |
| 2002-06-08 | European Cup | Belgrade, Serbia | |
Junior Competition Results
| Date | Competition | Place | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-22 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | |
| 2001-06-23 | European Championships | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic | |
| 2000-07-08 | European Championships | Stein, Netherlands | 5 |
| 2000-04-30 | World Championships | Perth, Australia | |
| 1999-07-03 | European Championships | Funchal, Portugal | |
| 1998-08-30 | World Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 5 |
| 1998-07-04 | European Championships | Velden am Wörther See, Austria | 18 |
Awards and Recognition
Nicola Spirig has received several awards for her achievements:
- 2000: Best Swiss Junior Sportswoman award
- 2001: Swiss Newcomer of the Year
- 2012: Swiss Sports Personality of the Year
- 2015: European Triathlon Union Female Athlete of the Year
Images for kids
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Nicola Spirig at the Sprint World Championships in Lausanne, 2011
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Nicola Spirig and Helen Jenkins at the World Championship Series triathlon in Madrid, 2010.
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Nicola Spirig at the World Championship Series triathlon in Kitzbühel, 2010
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Gold medalist Spirig with Emmie Charayron and Helen Jenkins at the World Championship Series triathlon in Madrid, 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Nicola Spirig para niños
