Chaotic event in Dubai
German triathlete crosses the finish line first – but he only comes second
November 17, 2025 – 6:46 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Even when he held the winner’s ribbon in his hands, Mika Noodt was skeptical as to whether everything was going well. Unfortunately for him, his suspicions were confirmed.
Mika Noodt raised the winner’s ribbon – but he didn’t win. There was a strange incident with the lap counter at the triathlon in Dubai. Instead of being considered the winner, the 25-year-old ended up completing one lap too few.
At first it looked as if the German triathlete had won the race over two kilometers of swimming, 80 kilometers of cycling and 18 kilometers of running. But Noodt himself appeared irritated immediately after crossing the finish line. He looked around, holding up the tape, but the look on his face spoke volumes. Only an evaluation after the race brought certainty: Due to a defective lap counter, Noodt crossed the finish line too early.
But that wasn’t enough: At the same time, a leading trio had previously completed one lap too many on the bike. It took three hours for the organizers to clear up the mess. In the end, American Morgan Pearson was deemed the winner, with Noodt taking second place. For the third time in the ongoing T100 series. “That was the strangest race I’ve ever competed in,” he said afterwards.
The Wolfsburg native is considered to be extremely strong and celebrated his first professional victory at the age of 21. At the same time, he has not been spared from setbacks throughout his career so far.
In 2022 he had to take a break for several months due to a fatigue reaction in the hip and pelvis area. Nevertheless, he came fourth that year at the middle distance Ironman World Championships in Utah.
In 2023 he broke his fibula in a fall. At the time, an orthopedic surgeon expressed doubts as to whether he would ever be able to run a marathon at his old level again – Noodt taught him otherwise.
More unfortunate moments followed one another: In October 2023, he fell from exhaustion shortly before the finish in France and crossed the line on all fours. “I lost control of my legs,” he said at the time.
The following year he missed a race in Las Vegas. During a practice lap he was denied the right of way. Noodt fell at almost 57 km/h, injured his hip and shoulder and was unable to start at the highlight of the season in Hawaii.
Despite everything, the 25-year-old remains positive. In the scene he is considered a candidate who could follow in the footsteps of previous German Hawaii winners – from Thomas Hellriegel to Patrick Lange. At least if he stays injury-free for a longer period of time and technology doesn’t play tricks on him.