The physical pain Gustav Iden endured in Singapore on Sunday was matched by the pain etched on his face during his post-race debrief with the PTO cameras after his DNF at the Asian Open.
It’s been an incredibly difficult year for the brilliant Norwegian, who had scaled the pinnacle of the long-course world in 2022 by adding IRONMAN World Championship glory in Kona to his two 70.3 World Championship victories.
Since then not much has gone right for the 27-year-old from Bergen. On course he has struggled to hit top form on his return to short-course racing in a bid for Olympic glory in 2024. Off course he had to deal with personal tragedy as his mother lost her long and brave battle against cancer.
Only this week Gustav had opened up about being “deemed not good enough” to be a part of the Norwegian team for that Paris Test Event, and on Sunday in Singapore he had yet another blow to deal with.
After coming out of the water 31 seconds off the pace, he was attempting to tough it out on the bike when a painful crash ended his day early with a DNF.
Gustav Iden on Asian Open DNF
Gustav had said before the race that he didn’t expect astonishing results in Singapore, but that didn’t make the pain of what happened easier to deal with.
Speaking afterwards he summed up his feelings in one simple phrase – “not my year”.
He added: “I did a 180 but there was some tape there, and exactly when I was riding on it, it was like a timing line as well. And then it all came off when I was riding on it, so fell down.
“I guess if I was feeling good I think I would push through and see how it is. But yeah, when you have a bad day and that comes on top, it’s hard to push through.”
The post-race debrief was short, but it was sad to watch. Iden’s confidence, his brilliance and his smile have been a beacon for the sport in recent years. They make triathlon better, and we hope to see them back soon.
Are we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
