Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt is aiming to become the first triathlete to win both an Olympic gold medal and an Ironman world title in the same year.
This World Championship being held in St. George, Utah this weekend is a 140.6-mile monster, much different than the shorter Olympic triathlon distance of 32 miles.
Jan Frodeno is the only athlete to win Olympic gold and an Ironman title over the course of their career. The German athlete won the Ironman three times in 2015, 2016 and 2019, along with his lone Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.
After winning the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Blummenfelt competed in his first Ironman event on November 21. Despite feeling ill for several days, he managed to finish the race in a record 7 hours, 21 minutes and 12 seconds.
Due to the injuries suffered by Frodeno and another German Patrick Lange, Blummenfelt chances of winning this weekend’s world championship look good. The course in St. George is a hilly trek and unlikely to produce fast times.
“Kristian is actually the favorite,” said last year’s winner and fellow Norwegian Gustav Iden, “I’m giving out the percentages to everyone, and I think I gave Kristian a 30 percent chance of winning.”
Although the Ironman is traditionally held in Kona, Hawaii, the one year change of venue from Kona to St. George doesn’t minimize the prestige of the world championships, which are taking place for the first time since the pandemic.
“Of course, Kona is something very historical, unique and something great we have in triathlon,” Blummenfelt notes. “But I think when we are finally now back again, with a world championship, we have to embrace the race.”
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