Jonas Schomburg secured his first-ever IRONMAN victory with a dominant and powerful display in Sweden – and showed that he could be a huge threat as championship season draws ever closer.
Part of the leading pack out of the swim, the German remained in contention throughout a seriously fast bike leg before then showing his incredible pace on the marathon by running a 2:34:36 to cross the finish line in a stunning time of 7:22:57, just outside the fastest full-distance time set by Kristian Blummenfelt and a new course record by more than 15 minutes.
Matthew Marquardt of the USA showed once again how he can drive through late to pick up a podium place by taking second place (+5:31), while Switzerland’s Andreas Salvisberg came home third, picking up one of the three final Kona spots on offer.
Fourth-placed Gregory Barnaby (ITA) and fifth-placed Dane Daniel Bækkegård took the other two Big Island slots, much to the agony of Swede Robert Kallin who had earlier recorded the fastest-ever IRONMAN bike time of 3:53:12.
Swim – Schomburg out strong in pack of seven
As expected, it was German uber-swimmer Jonas Schomburg who set the early pace in the swim, bursting forward at the sound of the cannon and stretching the men’s field within minutes of the start.
Despite the Kalmar Strait waters looking choppy and certainly not warm at 18C, the men were able to get off to a flying start, with a group of six managing to tag onto the toes of the leader.
Indeed, a lead pack of seven soon materialised, with Sven Thalmann (SUI), Salvisberg, Antonio Benito (ESP), Kacper Stepniak (POL), Barnaby and Henrik Goesch (FIN) working together at the front of the race.
In-form Marquardt was in the large chasing pack, while compatriot Trevor Foley was further back in a group which had been left behind by the strong start of Schomburg and co.
Stepniak, Salvisberg and Schomburg all took their turns at the front, but when it came to exiting the water first, it was Thalmann who just pipped the German with a time of 44:55; the remainder of the breakaways all coming out within ten seconds of one another.
Marquardt was among a very large chasing pack as he entered T1 only 95 seconds back and looking to make up some time on the bike. Bækkegård was just ahead of him and also well-positioned; however, Foley was +3:46 to the leaders after a 48:41 swim that saw him back in 33rd place.
Foley also spent close to two full minutes in transition as he spent time putting socks and shoes on before mounting his bike. In stark contrast, Schomburg was in and out within 77 seconds, taking the lead as Salvisberg, Barnaby, Thalmann, Stepniak, Benito and Goesch all followed.
Much-fancied Matt Hanson (USA) had a terrible swim and lay back in 37th place after recording a 50:22 that left him almost five and a half minutes behind the leaders.
Bike – Kallin sets new IRONMAN bike record time
Schomburg may have been first out of T1, but as he set out into the Swedish countryside, it quickly became apparent that the German was not going to be the main story of the bike leg.
Closely followed by those who had joined him in the lead swim group, the chasing pack had also started to make their way through the field to join what was soon a 14-strong set of riders at the front of the race, all within 24 seconds of one another.
Chief among those to make their move were Marquardt, Bækkegård and Kallin, who had been three minutes back coming out of the water in 23rd place but would soon be taking over at the front as he looked to test his fellow athletes early on.
Danes Gustav Palm-Henriksen and Mathias Lyngsø Petersen also joined the lead riders along with Federico Scarabino (URY) and Germany’s Jesse Hinrichs.
Kallin continued to drive on at the front and was soon in control, breaking away to forge a three-minute gap on the immediate chasers, who included Marquardt, Barnaby, Salvisberg, Schomburg, Bækkegård, and Stepniak.
Benito’s chances were hit when he was forced to serve a drafting penalty, and as a result he dropped back to 14th and was more than nine minutes back from the leading Swede.
Foley had worked his way up towards the top ten by this time, but he was also nine minutes back and would have it all to do on the run if he were to challenge for a podium place.
Kallin, meanwhile, was powering along at a pace of 46 km/hr and looked set to not only break the Kalmar bike course record but also the fastest-ever bike leg in IRONMAN history, which had been set by Australian Cameron Wurf in Texas last summer when he rode a 3:53:32.
Roared on by his excited home crowd, the Swede never let up and entered T2 with a time of 3:53:12 – 20 seconds faster than the previous best.
Marquardt was second at +4:09, Schomburg third (+4:10), and Bækkegård fourth (+4:40). Barnaby, Stepniak and Salvisberg were then fifth, sixth and seventh, between five and six minutes back.
Foley was, by now, 12 minutes back, and Hanson had been cut even further adrift.
Proof of how fast the bike leg had been could be found in the fact that the top seven riders all beat the previous course record of 4:03:08, which had been set by German Boris Stein back in 2019.
Kallin’s new record time had shaved an incredible nine minutes and 56 seconds from that time in what was a truly outstanding ride. The only question now was whether he had enough left for the run, or whether the runners behind him could make up the four-minute gap.
Run – Schomburg powers away to secure win
It took barely five minutes to see that Kallin would not have what it takes to hold onto his advantage as the Swede set out on his run, looking slightly laboured and uncomfortable after such a monumental effort in the saddle.
In stark contrast, Schomburg had flown out of T2 at a fierce pace, and it was only a matter of time before he would take over at the front. Indeed, the German only needed 10km to overhaul the leader, with his familiar swaggering-style run looking strong and controlled.
Renowned for his fast marathon starts, there have been questions regarding his ability to see out the distance and maintain his electric pace through the full 42.2km; well, this was clearly the ideal opportunity for him to show that he could indeed see out the win.
Kallin had initially done well to cling on in second place, but he was eventually overtaken by Barnaby before then slipping down the field.
As they reached 28km, Schomburg had a near-four-minute lead on Barnaby, who was in turn half a minute ahead of Salvisberg. Marquardt was in fourth at +5:14, Bækkegård fifth (+7:55), and Kallin was now 13 minutes behind, with his hopes of securing a Kona spot over.
While Barnaby’s main aim of the day will have been to secure his Kona spot, he will have been disappointed to give up his chances of a podium as first Salvisberg, who had started the run wearing a hydration vest as he looked to ensure that his nutrition was spot on, and then Marquardt overtook him.
Indeed, Marquardt was once again showing off his incredible levels of stamina, having managed to stick with the front-runners after catching up on the bike and, not for the first time this season, grinding out a result by moving through the field late on.
As Schomburg continued his relentless march to victory, crossing the line in 7:22:57 – beating Alistair Brownlee’s course record by an astounding 15 minutes and 51 seconds – the battle for second and third took centre stage.
And it was Marquardt who found that burst of pace when it mattered most, powering past Salvisberg to finish in a time of 7:28:28 (+5:31), with Salvisberg only 25 seconds further back.
Barnaby came home in fourth with a Kona slot secured in 7:32:11, and Bækkegård was fifth, picking up the final spot for the Big Island, crossing the finish line in 7:35:44, and a full +12:46 behind the winner.
Foley and Hanson, who had given themselves far too much to do after poor swims and being unable to make an impact on the bike, did manage to secure top ten finishes, Hanson coming home in seventh (+19:28) having run a 2:30:59 marathon and Foley in eighth (+20:47).
Kalmar men’s results:
(3.8km swim – 180km bike – 42.2km run)
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Schomburg | GER | 44:57 | 4:00:44 | 2:34:36 | 7:22:57 |
| 2 | Matthew Marquardt | USA | 46:30 | 3:58:50 | 2:39:50 | 7:28:28 |
| 3 | Andrea Salvisberg | SUI | 44:59 | 4:02:23 | 2:38:43 | 7:28:54 |
| 4 | Gregory Barnaby | ITA | 45:01 | 4:01:29 | 2:42:54 | 7:32:11 |
| 5 | Daniel Bækkegård | DEN | 46:25 | 3:59:27 | 2:46:23 | 7:35:44 |
| 6 | Henrik Goesch | FIN | 45:05 | 4:07:46 | 2:44:30 | 7:40:24 |
| 7 | Matt Hanson | USA | 50:22 | 4:17:58 | 2:30:59 | 7:42:26 |
| 8 | Trevor Foley | USA | 48:41 | 4:04:13 | 2:47:28 | 7:43:45 |
| 9 | Andy Krueger | USA | 46:45 | 4:08:34 | 2:48:32 | 7:47:19 |
| 10 | Filipe Azevedo | POR | 46:34 | 4:09:11 | 2:49:57 | 7:49:09 |
