For the first time since 2013, the Ironman World Champion is not from Germany. Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt was crowned king of long-distance triathletes in St. George/Utah in the USA on Saturday (May 7th, 2022). The 28-year-old from Bergen completed the course over 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and 42.195 kilometers of running in a time of 7:49:16 hours.
Blummenfelt had come out of the water in tenth place after the swim, 2:10 behind leader Sam Laidlow of France. At the end of the bike course, the new world champion was 4:26 minutes behind a group of five that included the best German, Florian Angert (Weinheim), right from the start. At the marathon, however, Olympic champion Blummenfelt showed his full running strength: after 30.5 kilometers he took the lead, which he did not give up until the finish line.
End of German Ironman dominance
In recent years, three athletes, Sebastian Kienle (2014), Jan Frodeno (2015, 2016 and 2019) and Patrick Lange (2017, 2018), have ensured a long series of German triumphs. In 2020, the Ironman World Championship, which is normally held in Hawaii, was completely canceled due to the corona pandemic. The 2021 edition has now been made up for in Utah. In October, the most important and prestigious competition in the triathlon scene is set to return to Hawaii.