Search
shop

Challenge Budva 2021 results: Lucy Hall rules, Ditlev wins after DSQ drama

Lucy Hall won the women's race at Challenge Budva while Magnus Ditlev was top man after his disqualification was overturned.
Editor-In-Chief
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Lucy Hall and Magnus Ditlev produced stunning performances to cross the line first at the inaugural Challenge Budva-Montenegro on Sunday, but it was two days before the Dane could really celebrate his victory.

Ditlev, an impressive winner by a wide margin in the men’s PRO race, saw his victory removed by disqualification hours later for unintentional course cutting – handing top spot on the podium to Patrick Lange.

Two days later though Challenge Family announced the disqualification had been overturned and changed to a five-minute time penalty. Such was Ditlev’s dominance, that was enough to return him to the top of the podium.

PRO Women – Hall the way…

Lucy, third at the duathlon which was Challenge Salou last weekend, had been expected to record the fastest swim of the morning, and she absolutely destroyed the rest of the field to head into T1 with a lead of almost three minutes over Emma Bliham. Elis Visser meanwhile was in fourth and almost five minutes off the pace.

Hall saw the pack close on her in the first third of the bike leg (see Tweet below for the reason), with Bliham pulling to within a minute-and-a-half of her, and Visser to just over three minutes. The Dutch star then fell away though in the next 30km and it was Bilham who appeared to be the only real threat to Lucy.

Hall began the half-marathon with a lead of 1:20 over Bilham, and gradually extended it to pull clear for a terrific victory by just over two minutes. Bilham was second, with Visser third more than four-and-a-half minutes away.

PRO Men – Ditlev drama

Italian Mattia Ceccarelli had a small advantage over Ognjen Stjoanovic exiting the water, with that pair followed by favourite Lange and Nils Frommhold a few seconds further back. Ditlev meanwhile was a further 50 seconds behind them.

Once back on dry land, Lange and Frommhold quickly moved to the head of affairs on their bikes, but behind them it was Ditlev who was making a major move. By the time the field had cycled 15km, Magnus was in front. And by 30km he led by more than a minute.

Ditlev continued to extend his lead on the bike and by the time he headed into T2 he had a lead of well over four minutes. By the halfway stage of the run Ditlev led the second-placed Lange by more than seven minutes, leaving Patrick to yell out “how is this possible?”.

Ditlev maintained that huge gap to come home in front almost seven minutes clear of Lange at the line, with Ruedi Wild passing Frommhold in the closing stages.

At this stage there was no hint of the controversy to come, but hours later Challenge Family released a statement confirming that Ditlev had been disqualified.

It read: “It is with a very heavy heart that we have to announce the disqualification of Magnus Ditlev after his victory earlier today at CHALLENGEBUDVA-MONTENEGRO. This dsq is due to an unintentional course cutting action, after following the lead bike, which became apparent in the final stages of today’s race.

“All involved regret this decision but the application of the objective rules as set out by our World Triathlon governing body is an important factor in our sport.

“In an act of solidarity, pros finishing behind Magnus decided to share their earnings of today’s prize money as a token of appreciation of the form Magnus showed.”

The drama did not end there though, and some 48 hours later Challenge released another statement, amending Ditlev’s DSQ to a five-minute time penalty. That was enough to restore the Dane to the top of the podium by just under two minutes from Lange.

The statement read: “Following Magnus Ditlev’s disqualification at CHALLENGEBUDVA-MONTENEGRO for unintentional course cutting and a subsequent protest from Ditlev, CHALLENGEFAMILY and CHALLENGEBUDVA-MONTENEGRO have further investigated the incident.

“The decision to disqualify Ditlev was based on information available at the time as per the World Triathlon rules where course-cutting results in disqualification. However, based on subsequent investigation, his disqualification has been returned to a five-minute time penalty as provided initially.

“The action was reduced in acknowledgement of the part the race organisation played in misdirecting Ditlev, for which CHALLENGEFAMILY and CHALLENGEBUDVA-MONTENEGRO has apologised, with a commitment to put more robust procedures in place to ensure this is not repeated.

“Ditlev retains his place as the inaugural CHALLENGEBUDVA-MONTENEGRO champion with a time of 3:46:29 with Patrick Lange in second (3:48:21) and Ruedi Wild in third (3:50:43).”

Challenge Budva 2021 Results

Sunday October 10, 2021

PRO Men

  • 1. Magnus Ditlev (DEN) 3:46:29**
  • 2. Patrick Lange (GER) 3:48:21
  • 3.. Ruedi Wild (SUI) 3:50:43
  • 4. Nils Frommhold (GER) 3:51:27
  • 5. Mattia Ceccarelli (ITA) 3:53:45

** Includes five-minute time penalty.

PRO Women

  • 1. Lucy Hall (GBR) 4:17:09
  • 2. Emma Bilham (SUI) 4:19:23
  • 3. Els Visser (NED) 4:21:41
  • 4. Gabriella Zelinka (HUN) 4:30:33
  • 5. Margie Santimaria (ITA) 4:37:00


Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
Discover more
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
Hayden Wilde bike supertri Boston 2024 photo credit supertri
Premium10 ways to make your road bike faster and more aero for triathlons
Kristian Blummenfelt photo credit: PTO Canadian Open
PremiumIs your gut health impacting your performance? The untapped potential of good gut health for triathletes
Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews on the run at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship
PremiumHas triathlon reached peak performance? Tri experts and legends on how much faster triathletes could get
latest News
Sam Laidlow celebrates Challenge Roth win 2025
IRONMAN Leeds 2025: Date, start time and how to follow live
Anne Haug wins Challenge Roth 2024 [Photo credit: Simon Fischer | Challenge Roth]
Triathlon legend and current world record holder Anne Haug announces her retirement
Lovseth Perterer Sanchez IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025
Rising Norwegian star underlines Kona claims and says that’s now the big goal
Vincent Luis San Francisco 49ers tri suit 2025
Short-course triathlon great Vincent Luis is OUT of T100 London
Marquardt Hogenhaug Foley IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025
‘World Championship level’ – Marquardt says bike bar was raised at Lake Placid
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...