Several penalties, a German champion of hearts and a Norwegian world champion at the finish who is not called Kristian Bummenfelt. Gustav Iden, buddy and training partner of the triathlon dominator from Bergen, won the Ironman World Championship in the fastest race in Hawaiian history, ending the German title series in the sweltering heat of Kailua-Kona. “The island tried to take me down, I don’t know if I’ll come back,” said Iden wearily and sitting in a chair at the finish area.
In 7:40:24 hours, the 26-year-old smashed the course record set by superstar Jan Frodeno from 2019 by more than ten minutes (7:51:13) and relegated Sam Laidlow from France to second place. Only then did Blummenfelt finish exhausted and completely exhausted. After the German victories from 2014 up to and including 2019 and the two years without a World Cup in Hawaii due to the corona pandemic, there was no gold in Hawaii for Germany’s Ironman athletes for the first time in a long time. Among the women, who started separately for the first time on Thursday, Anne Haug, world champion from 2019, took third place, Laura Philipp finished fourth.
Kienle on the farewell lap with tears in his eyes
For the men on Saturday, the starter of all people, who competed in Hawaii for the last time and won the World Cup in 2014, ensured the best German placement: Sebastian Kienle stayed under eight hours for the first time ten years after his debut in the triathlon Mecca. In 7:55:40 hours, the 38-year-old made it to sixth place and enjoyed the farewell lap in the trellis of spectators, visibly touched and with tears in his eyes. Kienle hugged his wife and his son, who was just over a year old: “Emotional explosion. You can’t say much more than that,” he said.
Patrick Lange finished tenth after swimming 3.86 kilometers, cycling 180.2 kilometers and running 42.2 kilometers. Despite a promising start, the race was practically over for the 2017 and 2018 champion after a good third on the bike course. Like compatriot Florian Angert (12th place), he received a five-minute penalty, which can be imposed for slipstreaming, among other things. Thanks to his running skills, Lange fought his way up to tenth place. “I’m incredibly proud of myself that I still pulled through after a time penalty that was questionable for me,” emphasized Lange on ZDF.
“Absolute worst case”: Even with the women, a German has to go into the penalty box
What would have been possible without the additional five minutes remains speculation. The fact that Laura Philipp missed the podium on Thursday after a time penalty of five minutes, the reason for which she was still not told until Saturday, caused a lot of frustration in the German camp. “Absolute worst case,” said Lange’s coach Björn Geesmann after his protégé’s penalty. Angert coach Philipp Seip, who also trains Laura Philipp and is married to her, was speechless and felt a “proper helplessness”. Now the only thing missing is that Kienle also has to go to the penalty box.
Emotion at the finish: Sebastian Kienle finished sixth at his last start in Hawaii.
(Photo: Frank Hau/Imago)
But he didn’t have to. Kienle did what he has always done best: catch up as a mediocre swimmer on the bike course. “You don’t always have the placement in your own hands, a few other people also have a say with their performance,” emphasized Kienle, looking at his strong sixth place at the end. “Sometimes you have to judge your own performance independently of your placement and I have to say: It’s right up there.” Kienle wants to end his career next year, this year’s start is said to have been his last in Hawaii
Long will come back. After his time penalty, he was 24th before he started on the running track, his favorite discipline. And he accelerated. Lange ran, grabbed a five-liter bottle of water to cool off, gave himself fresh water from the garden hose. Despite a marathon in 2:41:59 minutes, more than tenth place was no longer possible. At the front, everyone was waiting for Blummenfelt to attack. Laidlow, who completed the bike course in a record time of 4:04:36 hours, was overtaken only by Iden. Seven kilometers before the finish, the time had come, both shook hands at full speed, it was the handshake for the new Hawaii champion.