![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lucy-greenberg.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Janel Susastra will take the lessons she\u2019s learned at Texas Tech and apply them on
\n the course in Nyon, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Janel Susastra will take the lessons she\u2019s learned at Texas Tech and apply them on
\n the course in Nyon, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
The gun goes off \u2013 dozens of swimmers enter the water at once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The beginning of a triathlon is never graceful, it\u2019s pandemonium. Competitors are
\n kicked and elbowed in the face, coming up for air only to have water splashed into
\n their mouths.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat first part is basically a contact sport,\u201d says Janel Susastra, a fourth-year You don\u2019t win a triathlon by being the fastest or the strongest. You win by finding Janel\u2019s mother, having never learned to swim, put Janel in classes at only a few months She won her first gold medal in the freestyle event.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was just having fun, whether I won or lost,\u201d she remembers.<\/p>\n Treading through the water remained Janel\u2019s outlet through high school until pools What started as a way of continuing to train, morphed from discipline into destruction.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was afraid of gaining weight since I wasn\u2019t training as intensely,\u201d she remarks. She also took up running as a high-intensity way to get in cardio.\u00a0<\/p>\n As restrictions remained and she was stuck at home, Janel became hyper-focused on When she returned to the pool months later, her performance had declined significantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n As her teammates quickly regained their best times and improved from there, Janel \u201cI am not sure there was one single turning point in my recovery,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was \u201cI had to come to the understanding that we eat to support our training, we don\u2019t But rather than returning to her swim team, Janel realized she could combine her knowledge When she started competing, Janel came back stronger.<\/p>\n What started as a general curiosity culminated in her making the national team only The cool water of Victoria Harbor; cycling east past the promenades, concluding in Again, Janel found something she excelled in.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMeanwhile, school kind of knocked down my confidence,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Janel neared the end of her senior year not feeling nearly as confident academically \u201cIt\u2019s not a bad system; it just wasn\u2019t for me,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Janel considered the U.S. for college. She knew semesters worked differently in the \u201cI can focus really well on anything for four months,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her parents\u2019 friends had studied at Texas Tech, speaking highly of the experience. In December 2023, she was in her room when an email from Texas Tech come through. \u201cI went running out of my room to tell my parents,\u201d she says. \u201cThey were so happy Dry Land\u00a0<\/p>\n As triathletes transition from the water to their bikes, the chaotic energy settles \u201cIf you go it alone, you\u2019re going to be slower and get tired,\u201d Janel says.\u00a0<\/p>\n When Janel transitioned to Texas Tech, a campus she\u2019d never seen in person, she chose She knew no one, but the student staff at orientation made her feel at home, as did \u201cMy academic adviser was assuring,\u201d she says. \u201cHe made me feel like I could be part That adviser has been by Janel\u2019s side as she\u2019s balanced competing priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cI told Janel I would be her biggest supporter while she was at Texas Tech,\u201d says By the fall semester, campus came alive. The quiet and hot days with just a handful Janel met as many people as she could. She dragged her roommate \u2013 who she\u2019d only known The culture was different from her home in Singapore. There, people keep more to themselves, \u201cWhen I first came here, I was shy,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was a lot I was not open to; One decision Janel had to make early on was whether she\u2019d keep competing while studying Luckily, her triathlon coach had recommendations for coaches in Texas, and Janel met \u201cI enjoy coaching Janel because she is so consistent,\u201d he says. \u201cShe has a great work The coach and athlete work together virtually through an online training platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJanel is a well-rounded athlete, but more than anything, this experience is going Once Janel had a coach, the next item of business was to find a place to train.\u00a0<\/p>\n Janel became a familiar face at the Robert H. Ewalt Student Recreation Center<\/a>. Utilizing its indoor and outdoor lap pools, she found the familiar sensation of But her favorite thing is leaning on the other athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI see the same people at the rec center every morning,\u201d Janel says. \u201cIt\u2019s nice because Finishing Strong\u00a0<\/p>\n As triathletes transition to running, the race becomes a mental battle.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re hurting and exhausted,\u201d Janel explains. \u201cAt this final part of the competition, It\u2019s where Janel has learned to dig deep to find motivation. It\u2019s also what helped As impressive of a feat as that was, Janel believes her accomplishments in the classroom But the academics, even in shorter semesters, were an intimidating factor.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew there would be math involved, and I hadn\u2019t done so well in math and science Janel describes herself as an average student during high school, but she struggled She had been exposed to these subjects in primary school and even enjoyed physics, \u201cWe got to do a lot of fun experiments, like launching a mini water rocket,\u201d she says As happens with so many students though, the more serious school became, the less She began attending Supplemental Instruction<\/a> sessions. The peer-to-peer experience made it easier for Janel to ask questions and \u201cI actually work there now,\u201d she grins. \u201cI am not sure I ever would have believed The experience bolstered her confidence so much, she recently declared a double major
\n student at Texas Tech University<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Janel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Emerging-from-water.JPG\")
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\n your rhythm and trusting that the chaos, however uncomfortable, is temporary. This
\n is a lesson Janel first learned in a pool in Singapore, and it will carry with her
\n as she competes in the World University Championship Triathlon this August.<\/p>\n
\n old. But what began as a safety precaution turned into a favorite pastime for young
\n Janel. Then, she began competing, finding a sense of belonging in the water and within
\n her team. It was something she was good at; something that felt a part of her identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n closed during COVID-19. Suddenly, her outlet was gone. At 15, she had little access
\n to her friends or to her routine. She was unsure when she\u2019d swim again, so she began
\n doing at-home workouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI started controlling what I ate, often skipping breakfast and eating very little
\n throughout the day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n calorie intake. Every thought became about what she would or wouldn\u2019t eat. One day,
\n she realized the obsession had become an eating disorder she was drowning within.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Janel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Reaching-for-pool-wall.JPG\")
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\n was dealing with several health issues that had spiraled from her eating disorder.
\n Eventually, she made the difficult decision to take time off from swimming and focus
\n on getting healthier. Despite support from family and friends, it was still an uphill
\n battle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n a combination of realizing I couldn\u2019t keep treating my body that way and seeing other
\n athletes using food to fuel their training.<\/p>\n
\n train to burn off calories,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n of swimming and running, and try something new. She chose triathlon and hoped that
\n a different setting would match her new outlook.<\/p>\n
\n a year later. In 2023, after one year of competing, she went to the Asia Triathlon
\n Cup in Hong Kong, one of her favorite races to this day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n a run to the finish line in a park where families stood cheering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n as she did on the course. In Singapore, the education system wasn\u2019t built in a way
\n in which Janel thrived. Each class lasted the whole year with a mammoth of a cumulative
\n exam determining the final grade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n west, and that perhaps, it would be a better structure for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Janel applied to several schools in Texas and other parts of the U.S., hoping to hear
\n back. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n It was her acceptance letter and there was a scholarship attached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n into a subtle sense of camaraderie. Riders break off into packs, taking turns at the
\n front to conserve energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n to embrace it like one of her triathlon transitions. She arrived in Lubbock May 2024
\n for Red Raider Orientation<\/a> and to knock out some classes over the summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n her academic advisers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n of this community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Lead Adviser Jose Jimenez<\/a>. \u201cI remember saying, \u2018All I ask is that you ask lots of questions because that\u2019s
\n how you\u2019ll learn and grow.\u2019\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n of students at the Leisure Pool or studying in the Student Union Building<\/a> turned into cooler mornings with thousands of students bustling from class to class.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n for a day \u2013 to as many welcome events as possible. She had her first taco at a tailgate.
\n She attended her first Red Raider football<\/a> game, and she walked back to her dorm in the early hours of the morning with people
\n she was beginning to call friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n she explains. Here, strangers come up and start conversation. Small talk was an art
\n she had to learn. Already, she was not the same person who\u2019d left home six months
\n prior.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Janel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Janel-on-bike.JPG\")
\n Janel Susastra<\/p>\n
\n I feared a lot of things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n in the U.S. She figured she\u2019d keep training for races, and see what happened. It wouldn\u2019t
\n come before her schoolwork, but it wasn\u2019t something she was ready to give up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n with a few. She ended up hiring William Ritter.<\/p>\n
\n ethic, and she keeps pushing even if she isn\u2019t feeling well. Sometimes I have to hold
\n her back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n to follow her into her career and help her learn how to handle adversity,\u201d Ritter
\n says.<\/p>\n
\n the water made her feel a bit closer to home. Some days she\u2019ll cycle around Urbanovsky
\n Park; on others, she\u2019ll run on the track.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Janel's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Janel-on-bike-with-Texas-Tech-suit-on.JPG\")
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\n there are a few other triathletes who train there as well. We encourage each other
\n and it\u2019s nice to hear them say, \u2018You\u2019re so fast, you got this!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n it\u2019s about who can sustain their speed and spirit longest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n her place fifth in the nation at the 2026 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championship
\n in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n showcase her true determination. She declared an economics<\/a> major when she arrived at Texas Tech, knowing she\u2019d be able to secure a job after
\n graduation with a skillset that was transferable into many industries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n before,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n with doubt about her academic abilities entering college, especially in science, technology,
\n engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.<\/p>\n
\n its motion and energy drawing her attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n with a spark in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n her teachers approached the material with playful exuberance. But when she got to
\n Texas Tech, her professors possessed a passion that reignited her interest. She also
\n found the university offered several resources already bundled into her tuition that
\n would help her get where she wanted to go academically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n interact with others who also were working on similar assignments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n I\u2019d be tutoring others.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n in economics and mathematics<\/a> \u2013 something she\u2019s incredibly proud to highlight.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Janel-running.JPG\")
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