My Story
BACK TO BEIJING M
By Lindsay Wyskowski
ore than 250 Americans made the trip to Beijing, China, in early September to compete in the ITU World Championships, but most don’t have a connection to the city the way Scout Bassett does. Bassett, who won a bronze medal in the TRI-2 category at the paratriathlon championship event was excited to return to a land she once called home 16 years ago. Bassett, now 23, was born in China. As an infant, she lost her leg because of a fire, and she spent seven years in an orphanage before coming to the U.S. in September 1995. It was then that Joe and Susi Bassett adopted her and took her home to Michigan. She hadn’t been to China since.
Last year when she heard the world championships would take place in Beijing, she was compelled to qualify. “My heart just automatically raced a little quicker, because I knew what that meant for me,” Bassett said. “I still can’t believe this is going to happen.” Early life in China was not easy for Bassett. When she thought about the event recently, she says she got a bit emotional, unsure of what memories would come back to her when she arrived in the
country. “I wish I could articulate what this whole trip is going to mean,” she said. “I don’t even fully know what to expect.” In her preparation for key races this year, Bassett calls her training both interesting and frustrating. She knew she was overtraining before the 2011 Accenture USA Paratriathlon National Championship, but felt she had to push through the pain, including shin splints and tendonitis in her knee, because she needed to punch her ticket to China.
“It just meant too much to me to go to worlds this year, knowing what was at stake and where it was going to be held,” Bassett said. “I felt like I had to at least toe the start line and see how things went.”
After finishing second in New York at nationals, Bassett took a break from training so that she was fresh and ready to go in Beijing. Though her goal was to finish on the podium, she knew that the competition would be tough in the TRI-2 category. In her five years in the sport, she has seen the number of participants grow exponentially.
“Not only are we getting more participation — which is great
36 USA TRIATHLON FALL 2011
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