New European Champion Caroline Pohle suffered ‘hate on social media’ after protest upheld

Caroline Pohle‘s manager says she has been subjected to “criticism and hate on social media” in the fallout from IRONMAN 70.3 Jönköping on Sunday.

Pohle and fellow German Lena Meißner battled it out in a terrific sprint finish for the title of European Champion, with Meißner just getting the verdict after a desperate lunge for the line.

But hours later it emerged that a protest from Pohle had been upheld and the placings were reversed.

Jury’s verdict explained

IRONMAN told us at the time: “Following the race, Pohle submitted an official protest, citing that she was blocked by Meißner in the final meters. The Head Referee accepted the protest and convened the Competition Jury to review photo and video evidence.

“The Jury ruled that Meißner impeded the forward progress of Pohle, and subsequently the result was adjusted so that Pohle was declared as the winner, with Meißner in second place.

“As they were at the finish line, no yellow card time penalty (30 seconds) was enforced, and it would not have impacted the results of any other athletes.

“In accordance with the competition rules, the appeals process remains open for three days from the point of the decision.”

That 72 hour-window has now closed and would appear the matter is now closed.

‘She is also just a human being’

However Christian Trunk, the co-founder of A-Team Sportsmanagement, said in an email update to the media and her wider team that it has been a difficult few days for Pohle.

He explained: “Caro especially wants to emphasize that she would have preferred a different outcome herself and that the protest was not directed at Lena Meißner personally.

“Instead, it was a hard-fought competition at the highest level. Both athletes shaped the race and both would have deserved the European title based on their performance. Disagreements and referee decisions are part of the sport – even if they are not always pleasant.

“Right now, Caro is facing a lot of criticism and hate on social media. This completely overlooks the fact that she is also just a human being. Every athlete has the right to file a protest, and the decision was made by an independent jury.

“We all hope for exciting and fair races in the future. Caro will head back to training camp in Livigno at the end of the week to prepare for her next competition. The next race will be the T100 in London on August 9.”

Pohle’s victory has moved her up one place to a new high of #11 in the PTO’s world rankings.