Norwegian triathlon is not just about Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden, we may have another swim/bike/run phenom on our hands after Solveig Lovseth romped to a stunning victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo in Italy on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Olympian from Trondheim simply was brilliant as she claimed an impressive Pro Series victory and the third 70.3 success of her career, following on from Indian Wells La Quinta in 2023 and Warsaw in 2024.
The win was set up by a blistering bike leg from the Scandinavian star, with her 2:06:59 split faster than 14 of the pro men racing on Sunday. Germany’s Lena Meissner claimed second spot with France’s Emilie Morier completing the podium.
Race Report
Meissner led for most of the bike course through the Italian countryside after coming out of the water in front – with more than two minutes in hand on the eventual winner.
Lovseth, who had been chipping away to close in on the German, eventually made a pass in the final third of the bike leg. She then kept her cool as she got on to the run course, staying strong and consistent to increase her lead to a winning margin of more than six minutes. Her time of 3:53:22 is one of the fastest recorded in IRONMAN 70.3 history.
Morier, who was fourth off the bike, managed to run herself onto the podium in one of the best races of her career, in the process punching her ticket to the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Marbella.
Afterwards Lovseth said: “My swim was alright I guess, not my strongest discipline. On the bike, I knew that Lena was in front and tried to chase her for the first 60km, and then tried to just stay even all the way to transition.
“On the run, I didn’t get many splits, so you’re always afraid that someone is coming from behind, so I just tried to keep my pace high on the run… my main goal was to not blow off or I will destroy everything, so I tried to be a little more conservative and just enjoy as well, and it was I quite easy to enjoy it with so many spectators around, so yes a really great day.”
IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo results – Pro Women
Sunday May 4, 2025
| Pos | Name (Country) | Swim | Bike | Run | Time | Pro Series Points* | Prize Money |
| 1 | Solveig Lovseth (NOR) | 25:46 | 2:06:59 | 1:16:28 | 3:53:22 | 2,500 | $7,500 |
| 2 | Lena Meissner (GER) | 23:33 | 2:11:40 | 1:20:27 | 3:59:42 | 2,120 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Emilie Morier (FRA) | 25:18 | 2:12:22 | 1:19:48 | 4:01:38 | 2,004 | $3,750 |
| 4 | Danielle Kleiser (GER) | 31:29 | 2:12:52 | 1:15:16 | 4:03:57 | 1,865 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Anne Reischmann (GER) | 27:22 | 2:11:02 | 1:22:144 | 4:04:29 | 1,833 | $2,000 |
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