Europe played host to four of the seven scheduled global IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® triathlon events last wekeend, with IRONMAN France Nice and IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore in Denmark being the only two European events to host a professional field in Europe. This paved way for Clement Mignon (FRA) to take the top podium spot in Nice, France. With Olivia Mitchell (IRL) taking her first ever IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon professional victory at this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore which was live broadcast on Outside TV.
The age group only events featured IRONMAN 70.3 Nice which ran concurrently with the IRONMAN France Nice triathlon, and IRONMAN 70.3 Westfriesland in the Netherlands. With the overall age group champions being awarded to Paul Loiseaux (FRA) and Marianne Huvelle (FRA) who finished in a time of 04:22:11 and 05:10:36 respectively at IRONMAN 70.3 Nice. While IRONMAN 70.3 Westfriesland saw Dennis Bakker (NLD) and Marieke Brouwers (NLD) crowned champions, finishing in a time of 03:55:37 and 04:29:33 respectively.
IRONMAN France Nice
IRONMAN France Nice saw 31 professional men battle it out to be crowned IRONMAN Champion in France. This would be a massive psychological advantage going into this year’s highly anticipated VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France on September 10, 2023.
The men’s field featured Clement Mignon (FRA), Cameron Wurf (AUS), Arthur Horseau (FRA), Dylan Magnien (FRA) and Thomas Navarro (FRA) all hunting down a podium finish. It was a fascinating day of racing that saw Dylan Magnien (FRA) come out the water first in a time of 00:49:50, with the usual suspect, Cameron Wurf (AUS), pulling out the fastest bike split of the day with a time of 04:31:52. However, it was Cement Mignon (FRA) who crossed the finish line first on the run with an overall winning time of 08:17:40.
Mignon shared: “I want to thank Marjolaine [Pierré], who has been supporting me. I managed to stay in the front pack during the swim and on the bike. I took the right decision to follow my rhythm on the bike and stick to my numbers. I lost two minutes behind Cameron, but that decision helped me on the run.”
Coming in second, Aernouts shared: “I am very happy for Clement because he deserves it. I have had amazing times in Nice and I’m so glad for being on the podium again in Nice after some amazing results like in 2013 against Fred Van Lierde”
Final podium finisher, Hoffman shared: “This is amazing for me. It is my first ever IRONMAN event and I am happy to podium. The run was very tough, but I was confident in my running abilities. My muscles are hurting because of that brutal run. This is such a beautiful venue, and I am happy to have raced here. And, to qualify for the upcoming [VinFast] IRONMAN World Championship.”
Athletes began the morning with a two-loop 3.8 km swim course in the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Before taking on a one-loop 180.2 km bike course which is arguably one of the most spectacular and challenging bike courses on the global IRONMAN circuit. Lastly, athletes completed a four-loop 42.2 km run course leading along the legendary Promenade des Anglais.
Professional men
1. Clement Mignon (FRA) – 8:17:40
2. Bart Aernouts (BEL) – 8:24:12
3. Jonas Hoffman (DEU) – 8:27:25
4. Cameron Wurf (AUS) – 8:29:42
5. Dylan Magnien (FRA) – 8:34:11
IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore
Staged near the legendary 15th century Kronborg Castle, this year the event celebrated its 9th edition and welcomed over 1 200 athletes to the start line. In-depth race coverage of the women’s professional showdown was shown live on Outside TV. A post-race replay of the women’s professional battle will be made available on watch.outsideonline.com/live-events/ironman-70-3.
The event saw a small but fierce professional women’s field who fought for a piece of the $25,000 price purse and two qualifying slots that were up for grabs to race at the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland on August 26 -27, 2023. The professional field featured the likes of Michelle Vesterby (DNK), Anna Bergsten (SWE), Olivia Mitchell (IRL), Kate Curran (GBR) and Minna Koistinen (FIN).
However, it was Olivia Mitchell (IRL) who narrowly claimed victory in a time of 04:05:22. Mitchell executed her race perfectly to win her first ever professional IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon event. Doing so by clocking in a swim time of 00:25:34, coming out the water in seventh. Before clocking in the fifth fastest bike split in a time of 02:42:13. This set her up beautifully on the run to take victory with her 01:21:14 run split finish. Beating second place finisher by only 25 seconds.
Athletes began the day with a one-loop 1.9 km swim course at Elsinore Harbour. Followed by a fast and relatively flat 90.1 km bike course that heads out north along the stunning coastline of Northern Sealand. Lastly, the 21.1 km run course circled the historic Kronborg castle before heading for the city center of Elsinore.
Professional women
1. Olivia Mitchell (IRL) – 4:05:22
2. Anna Bergsten (SWE) – 4:05:47
3. Kate Curran (GBR) – 4:09:28
4. Laura Madsen (DNK) – 04:10:51
5. Carolin Lehrieder (DEU) – 04:13:11
