Harry Palmer (GBR) and Caroline Pohle (GER) emerged as the winners after a dramatic day’s racing at The Championship, Challenge Family’s showpiece middle-distance race at the iconic x-bionic sphere in Šamorín.
With a prize purse of €100,000 it was always going to be fiercely contested and Palmer had to bide his time before finally overhauling longtime leader Valdemar Solok (DEN) deep into the run.
Pohle collapsed 800m before the finish line here in 2024 but on another hot day in Slovakia she took control on the bike and then managed things superbly on the run as she held off her great rival and fellow German Lena Meissner.
Pro Men – Palmer times it perfectly
Hannes Butters (GER) made his customary rapid start on the out-and-back swim in the Danube canal.
He was around 30 metres clear at the turn point but that gap did come down on the way back, with Kieran Lindars (GBR) closing to seven seconds behind Butters’ 21:46 when they exited the water.
Solok was quickest through T1 and that put him at the front of a bike leg he would go on to completely dominate.
The Dane was soon riding solo, with Henry Räppo (EST) also looking strong in second but there was two minutes between them at the turn point after 45km.
By the time Solok arrived at T2 he was over three minutes to the good, Räppo still in second at +3:11 but with Butters, Palmer, Lindars and Ivan Abele (NZL) all right on his tail.
Jannik Schaufler was just off the back of that group at +3:30 in seventh, with pre-race favourites Fred Funk (GER) at +4:04 in eighth and Will Draper (GBR) +4:07 in ninth.
On the first of five run laps it was Palmer who made the biggest move as he took just over a minute out of Solok and he continued to whittle away the advantage, eventually making the catch after 17km en route to a famous win.
Solok kept on well for second, 34 seconds adrift, while Draper overtook Räppo late on for third.
Speaking soon afterwards, Palmer said: “I got off the bike and was three minutes back and thought I might be fighting for second but when it was down to 2:10 after the first lap I was like ‘we’ve got a race on here’.
“It was all about chipping away – I like the tough run course and the mixed terrain, it kind of suits me.
“I just got into a good rhythm and managed to get past him on the last lap. Very nice to take the win here today – I just did my own thing and it paid off in the end.”
Pro Women – Pohle takes emotional win
The women’s race was all about Pohle banishing any demons that remained from that horrible experience two years ago.
She had said beforehand: “I just want to get to the finish line on Sunday and find my inner peace. I am mentally and physically good.”
It was Sophia Green (GBR) who set the pace in the swim and she, Meissner and Marta Sánchez (ESP) managed to put daylight between themselves and the rest.
Just six seconds separated that trio when they came out of the water, with Pohle at +42s in fourth and more than a minute more back to the rest.
The single-lap bike course through the Slovakian countryside was effectively where Pohle won the race as she first bridged up to the leaders and then swept past en route to obliterating the course record by three minutes.
She continued to put the power down and at T2 she was 2:39 ahead of Meissner, with Sánchez at +2:45 and Green in fourth, 4:14 off the lead.
Pohle and Meissner of course have history of their own after that epic sprint finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Jönköping European Championship last year.
But although the gap came down, it never looked like we would get a repeat of that and Pohle looked wonderfully composed as she celebrated her victory in the closing stages.
She crossed the line in 3:55:39, 1:32 in front of Meissner, with Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN) running through the field to claim third.
“I can’t describe the feeling because I’m so happy and so proud of myself and my team,” said an understandably emotional Pohle afterwards.
“I took a risk by attacking on the bike but it worked and I’m so happy.
“In 2024 I collapsed 800 metres before the finish line so you never know when it’s over but I pushed really hard until the end as I know Lena is really strong on the run.”
The next focus for Pohle is her full-distance debut which will come at Challenge Roth in early July.
The Championship 2026 results
Sunday 24 May, 1.9km, 90km, 21.1km
MEN
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Overall time | Gap to winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Palmer | GBR | 3:31:55 | — |
| 2 | Valdemar Solok | DEN | 3:32:29 | +0:35 |
| 3 | William Draper | GBR | 3:33:59 | +2:04 |
| 4 | Henry Räppo | EST | 3:34:54 | +3:00 |
| 5 | Jannik Schaufler | GER | 3:35:10 | +3:16 |
| 6 | Florian Angert | GER | 3:35:45 | +3:51 |
| 7 | Frederic Funk | GER | 3:35:54 | +4:00 |
| 8 | James Teagle | GBR | 3:36:29 | +4:35 |
| 9 | Kieran Lindars | GBR | 3:36:37 | +4:43 |
| 10 | Ognjen Stojanovic | SRB | 3:37:00 | +5:06 |
WOMEN
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Overall time | Gap to winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroline Pohle | GER | 3:55:39 | — |
| 2 | Lena Meissner | GER | 3:57:11 | +1:33 |
| 3 | Katrine Græsbøll Christensen | DEN | 3:58:32 | +2:54 |
| 4 | Elisabetta Curridori | ITA | 4:01:43 | +6:05 |
| 5 | Marta Sánchez Hernandez | ESP | 4:02:21 | +6:43 |
| 6 | Francesca Crestani | ITA | 4:03:45 | +8:07 |
| 7 | Justine Guerard | FRA | 4:06:34 | +10:56 |
| 8 | Brooke Gillies | GBR | 4:09:11 | +13:33 |
| 9 | Megan Mcdonald | GBR | 4:10:43 | +15:05 |
| 10 | Jasmine Brown | AUS | 4:11:29 | +15:51 |
