German victory with track record at Ironman Hawaii – drama about Sebastian Kienle – sport worldwide

Kailua-Kona. It’s done: For the fifth time in a row, a German won the Ironman in Hawaii. For Sebastian Kienle from Mühlacker, however, the race ended with a sad premiere.

Patrick Lange has won the Ironman World Championship again. The 32-year-old triathlete and previous year’s winner from Bad Wildungen in Hesse remained the magic athlete on Saturday after 3.86 kilometers swimming, 180.2 kilometers cycling and 42.2 kilometers running in 7:52 hours Hour mark – and made a marriage proposal right after his girlfriend’s finish. With the wreaths on his head and around his neck, he went down on his knees in front of her in the finish area. Surprised, but also overjoyed, she nodded her head in agreement!

Is there a better time to propose marriage?

Patrick #Long | @IRONMANtri | #ZDFironman pic.twitter.com/UuEvVlUHgu

— ZDF Sport (@ZDFsport) October 14, 2018

Long won the Belgian Bart Aernouts (7:56:41 hours) and the British David McNamee (8:01:09). Once again, Daniela Ryf was at the top of the women’s list – and also in a record time! The Swiss woman was the first woman to take this route under eight and a half hours. After 8:26:20 hours, she had her fourth Hawaii triumph. The British Lucy Charles came in second. The German Anne Haug took third place with a time of 8:41:58 hours.

Sebastian Kienle got out early. The 34-year-old triathlete from Mühlacker ended the race shortly after cycling with a foot injury, as explained on his Twitter account.

Unfortunately Sebastian had to drop out on the run with an heel injury.

– Sebastian Kienle (@ Sebastian Kienle) October 14, 2018

Kienle, after swimming reasonably well over 3.86 kilometers on Saturday in Kailua-Kona after a defect at the start of the 180.2 km bike route, fell several minutes behind the leader and could not make up for the deficit on the bike.

There was no more information on the time lists for Kienle after the first 0.3 kilometers of the running route. He stopped with Achilles tendon problems a good kilometer of the 42.2 kilometer final discipline. A photo from “Triathlon Magazine” on Twitter showed Kienle how he was holding his left Achilles tendon while sitting on the asphalt. He had already reported corresponding problems before the race.

Sebastian Kienle has dropped out of the race at mile one of the run. Photo: Mike Plant pic.twitter.com/26ChBvC7kY

— Triathlete Magazine (@TriathleteMag) October 13, 2018

After Sebastian Kienle in 2014 and Jan Frodeno in 2015 and 2016, who was only an expert and spectator at the 40th Ironman in Hawaii due to an injury, Lange ensured the fifth German triumph in the triathlon Mecca in succession. In addition to Lange and Frodeno, Normann Stadler (2004 and 2006) also won twice on Hawaii. Thomas Hellriegel became the first German to win the world championship first place in 1997, and in 2005 Langes, current coach Faris Al-Sultan, won.

“I didn’t have the best swimming, as you have seen, but after that it went incredibly well,” said Lange. Lange came to the transition zone after the first discipline over two minutes after the Australian Josh Amberger and also the third-placed Kienle training partner Maurice Clavel. “Patrick was not there, I was a little annoyed,” said Langes Trainer, the 2005 world champion Faris Al-Sultan on ZDF. Because Kienle, the weaker swimmer, was only five seconds behind Lange. Within a short time and a few more kilometers on the bike, the signs changed suddenly. For Kienle, the eighth appearance in Hawaii was over before it got really serious. In his flagship discipline, the man from Mühlacker wanted to attack, gaining a lead of 10 minutes plus X minutes over the super runner Lange. A defect on the rear wheel destroyed the plan, the physical also became a visible and noticeable mental agony. “A difficult time,” commented coach Lubos Bilek.

In addition to Lange, other Germans were among the top riders on the 180.2 kilometers, including 30-year-old Freiburg Clavel, who had qualified third for the World Cup at the Ironman in South Africa in April. And the 29-year-old Lichtenfelser Lange team-mate Andreas Dreitz, whose steady and powerful kick the old and new champion also used cleverly so that the gap to the expected “over-wheelers” didn’t get too big at the beginning of the second section. “Patrick makes the bombing race,” said Frodeno as an expert for ZDF. Because rivals like the Australian Cameron Wurf, who improved his bike record from the previous year by 4:09:36 hours by more than three minutes in almost windless conditions, were not opponents when it came to winning after a total of 226 kilometers and only now Long part came. Cap upside down on the head, always new water sponges for cooling under the suit – Lange ran and the competition in the ground like a year ago.

In 2016, in 2:39:45 hours, he had already done the fastest marathon ever at a World Cup in Hawaii when he finished third. In 2017, he set the course record for the first time when he won. This time, Lange made up nine places in the first 8.5 kilometers, after 16 kilometers he also overtook and took the lead in the race for the first time. Wurf, once a rower at Olympia and also a former professional cyclist, clapped the Germans respectfully. The new triumph was perfect 26 kilometers later.

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