Ironman World Cup in Utah: Does Anne Haug defend the title?

Jan Frodeno recently had his damaged Achilles tendon examined. Patrick Lange turns a relaxed run through Hamburg with Kai Pflaume. If this Saturday is fighting for the titles at the Ironman World Cup and sweating, the champions of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 are missing. But that's not the only reason why it will be a world championship under special signs. For the first time since 1978, when in February of the same year the exhausting competition swimming over 3.86 kilometers, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running celebrated its premiere, the triathlon champions are not crowned in Hawaii.

• Haug: "No matter where a World Cup takes place"
• frodeno and long cure out
• Kienle and the toilet
• do the Norwegians clear?
• Corona stopped Philipp

Haug: "No matter where a World Cup takes place"

No problem for the defending champion for women. "For me, it doesn't matter where a World Cup takes place," says Anne Haug: "For me, a World Cup is a World Cup." From the point of view of equal opportunities, it is not bad to make a World Cup in another places. Especially because Hawaii is more than a challenge with the heat, the extreme humidity and the dreaded Mumuku winds. "We, which we have won in Hawaii, have to prove that we can do it elsewhere," said Haug of the German Press Agency.

The 39 -year -old won - like Frodeno - 2019 the last World Cup so far. In 2020, the classic in triathlon mecca had to be canceled because of the corona pandemic, and in 2021 no races were also possible there. The World Cup, which is now increasing in St. George in the US state of Utah, is the catch-up date. In October, a cannon shot will send the thousands of athletes on the track again in Hawaii.

frodeno and long cure out

Then FRODENO, who, because of a partial tear of the Achilles tendon, only want to train and cycle at home in Girona, and long, who had suffered a shoulder injury in the training camp in the Canary Islands.

The fact that the famous German title series has existed until then can be doubted, even if the initiator is there in St. George. In 2014 Sebastian Kienle celebrated his greatest sporting success. In 2019 he made it to Hawaii to third place. But in recent years, the now 37-year-old has repeatedly suffered from injury problems. He wants to end his career next year.

Kienle and the toilet

"In the past two years I often had the feeling that it was damn," he said when he was announced a few months ago. But now it shouldn't have been: either in Utah or in Hawaii, Kienle wants to triumph again. Somehow, even if he knows how big the challenge is. "I would not say impossible, but it's pretty difficult to stand up there in the middle on Saturday," he said at the official press conference, not without worrying about some laughs when he was in a good mood when he was in a training motivation during one Toilet passage reported. The two other Germans, Florian Angert and Boris Stein, are likely to have top-ten chances.

In 2014 Kienle won, 2015 and 2016 Frodeno, 2017 and 2018 for a long time, then FRODENO again. Due to the lack of the German duo, one of the spots is even more of a field of view when it comes to the top favorite: Kristian Blummenfelt, 28 years old, Norwegians and clearer of the previous year. Blummenfelt won the World Cup title about the short distance, Olympic gold and in a famous record time during his long-distance premiere the Ironman Cozumel. Unfortunately, there were a few cancellations, he said with a view to the struggle between Norway and Germany with his top stars.

do the Norwegians clear?

In addition to Blummenfelt, among other things compatriot Gustav Idn, twice world champion about half the distance, ex-Vice world champion Lionel Sanders from Canada and the two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee from Great Britain are part of the favorite group. Surprises are certainly not excluded on the bike course with almost two and a half thousand meters of altitude and a hilly marathon. It will be a effort day without a break for more than seven and a half hours.

"I haven't done a competition on such a route," reports Haug. Over 900 days after her triumph as the first German woman, she says with a view to defending the title: "It is great to win once. It would be very special to confirm a second time."

Corona stopped Philipp

The women's competition starts five minutes after the professional men at 2:20 p.m. MESZ (sportschau.de) in Sand Hollow State Park. The Ironman Hamburg winner of 2021, Laura Zimmermann, will also be there. Laura Philipp will be missing. The 35-year-old was one of the medal candidates, a Corona infection stopped. The same fate suffered 33-year-old Carolin Lehrieder. Because of a hip injury, the three-time vice world champion Lucy Charles-Barclay from Great Britain had to cancel her start.