AUDIO: Metal splinters on the bike course at the Ironman in Hamburg (2 min)
Triathlon
As of: June 7, 2026 2:28 p.m
The Norwegian Solveig Lövseth has secured the title at the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg. Defending champion Laura Philipp came second. The race on Sunday morning was overshadowed by a possible act of sabotage in the Kirchwerder area, which resulted in injuries.
World champion Lövseth crossed the finish line on the Rathausmarkt early on Sunday afternoon after 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and the final marathon run (42.195 kilometers) in 8:11:11 hours.
Last year’s winner Philipp missed the hoped-for third title in the Hanseatic city. The Heidelberg native was able to significantly shorten the eight-minute gap after cycling to Lövseth in the last discipline of the competition. But it wasn’t quite enough for the 39-year-old to win the title triple after 2022 and 2025. She crossed the finish line in 8:12:29 hours. The Danish Katrine Christensen came third (8:15:20).
“It was very hard out there, I almost fell off my bike,” said Philipp: “But I did my best. The atmosphere was great. I think that will give me self-confidence.” With silver at the European Championships, she secured qualification for the World Championships on October 10th in Hawaii.
Philipp almost catches up with the big gap
Philipp was affected by severe stomach and back pain during their altitude training camp in April and was temporarily in the hospital. Her performance in the Hanseatic city is all the higher, where she started the final marathon in seventh place, almost nine minutes behind, in sometimes heavy rain.
Laura Philipp narrowly missed her third title in Hamburg.
The race, which started on the Binnenalster and finished at the Radhausmarkt, was dominated for a long time by the Frenchwoman Marjolaine Pierré, who dictated the pace on the bike and switched to the running course as the leader. Here, however, Lövseth immediately picked up the pace and overtook Pierre after less than four kilometers. As a result, the 26-year-old from Trondheim controlled the race.
Behind him, in conditions that were now dry again, Philipp was gaining second by second on those in front. Nevertheless, the third Hamburg triumph was no longer within reach for the 39-year-old. The Heidelberg native will continue on July 5th with the start of the prestigious Challenge Roth.
Injured in incident in Kirchwerder
In the morning there was an incident on the section of the route in Kirchwerder, which, however, did not affect the professionals, but rather the participants in the everyman race. An unknown person had apparently scattered metal splinters on the street. Around 150 triathletes had to interrupt the race with flat tires, and 50 of them were unable to resume the competition.
There were also injured athletes. According to NDR information, at least one participant had to be taken to a hospital in an ambulance. The police were quickly on site and began an investigation.
The background to the possible sabotage could be that there are many discussions in the Bergedorf district about the route of the cycle route. Residents feel restricted by the closures. There were also protest signs along the route that read, among other things: “You are robbing us of our freedom.”
The police have not yet wanted to comment on the possible background.
