Search
shop

Gustav Iden OUT of IRONMAN World Championship in St George

Norwegian star ruled out of the big dance in Utah
News Director
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

Pre-race favourite Gustav Iden is OUT of Saturday’s IRONMAN World Championship in St George.

The 26-year-old from Bergen was ruled out of the race on Friday due to a respiratory tract infection.

Advertisement

Norwegians hit by colds

Iden’s coach, Olav Aleksander Bu, revealed to TRI247 last week that both Iden and his fellow Norwegian – Olympic Champion Kristian Blummenfelt – had suffered interrupted preparations for Utah due to colds.

At that stage though it appeared Blummenfelt had been affected worst, with Iden less so. Fast forward a week though and the sad news emerged on Friday that Gustav will not bid to add the full-distance World Championship to his two 70.3 titles.

Olav told us: “Long story short: I’ve had the boys through everything from blood works, clinical examination and ECG, and had daily dialogue with the team doctor.

“We decided to make the final call today, and Kristian is recovered enough that he is considered healthy enough to start, while too many important markers are not good enough for Gustav yet.”

Another star pulls out

Iden’s withdrawal is the latest in a long line as the delayed 2021 Championship is hit by a string of high-profile injuries and illnesses.

The loss of Iden leaves Blummenfelt and fellow Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee as the favourites heading into Saturday’s race (0615 local time, 0815 Eastern, 1315 UK, 1415 CET).

Next in the betting before Iden’s withdrawal were Canadian star Lionel Sanders, American Sam Long and 2014 World Champion Sebastian Kienle.

‘Gutted for them’

Pro View
Tim Don
Tim is a triathlon and IRONMAN legend. And alongside Ian Dempsey he’s created Halo ID, a global community for like-minded people with a love for triathlon and endurance sport – all about your next level, whatever that may be.

We caught up with Tim Don for his take on the breaking news and he told us: “It’s such a hot and dry environment here. There’s such a stress on your immune system, especially having come down from altitude and having had a long haul flight.

“The first line of defence is saliva for an upper and lower respiratory infection. [But] it’s so dry here that your throat is always dry.

“Disappointed and absolutely gutted for them.”

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
Cadomotus aero triathlon cycling shoes
Can your triathlon cycling shoes make you faster? How shoe choice could speed up your triathlon finish times
French Riviera T100 bike course Esterel
Is this the ultimate middle distance triathlon bike course? We rode the French Riviera T100 bike course and it’s EPIC
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
latest News
The PTO's CEO Sam Renouf
PTO reveal ambitions of matching Roth and Kona as French Riviera T100 triathlon course details unveiled
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘No No No’ – Sam Long says he felt ROBBED by swim cancellation at ‘69.1 Chattanooga’
IRONMAN World Championship 2024 Nice Age Group Swim Start
IRONMAN to review World Championship slot allocation model after fears raised for Age Group women
Jonny Brownlee / Jonathan Brownlee - Super League Triathlon London 2023
Did the Brownlee brothers nearly join pro cycling’s Team Sky after 2012 Olympic heroics?
Kristian Hogenhaug interviewed after The Championship 2025
Danish triathlon star highlights blistering bike split as key to The Championship success.
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

Share to...