The prospect of a Norwegian clean sweep may have been the hot topic of many a pre-race interview, but very few pundits were brave enough to predict an IRONMAN World Championship podium that saw debutant Casper Stornes lead his fellow countrymen and training colleagues across the line.
Even admitting himself that he had ‘come in under the radar’ somewhat, the 28-year-old’s dominant victory made a mockery of those who felt the experience and championship pedigree of former title winners Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden would prove decisive on the day.
As Blummenfelt quipped in the post-race press conference, this result wasn’t his ideal scenario when it came to these three Scandi superstars securing a first national podium 1-2-3 since Jan Frodeno, Sebastian Kienle and Patrick Lange crossed in a German procession at Kona in 2016.
World Championship debut
This, after all, was Stornes’ first-ever World Championship at full distance, and while there was an expectation that he could challenge for the title, did anyone truly expect him to actually go on and win it by finishing ahead of his close friends?
“It’s unreal. I’ve been playing this moment over in my mind for many weeks and months,” he said. “It’s just so amazing to actually do it. It’s a dream come true. I saw my family at the finish line, and I started crying. It’s really good to perform when your sponsors, family, and friends are on the course. It was special.
“I knew I had a chance to win, but I also knew I had some really hard competitors to beat. I am just over the moon. They (Iden and Blummenfelt) have pushed me to the line for so many years. They are the best mates that I can share the podium with, and I’m so happy.”
Talk of a historic 1-2-3 first emerged after Blummenfelt won so handsomely at Frankfurt in June, crossing the line ahead of Stornes in third and, the injury-hit but fast-improving, Iden in fourth. Having already achieved a podium sweep at the 2018 World Triathlon Series in Bermuda, the prospect of a repeat performance was always on the cards – even if the Nice finishing positions would turn out to be something of a surprise.
“I think people had more eyes on me after Frankfurt,” accepted Stornes. “But Kristian ran really fast in Frankfurt, so I think I flew a little bit under the radar. But I think, for me, that was a good thing.
“Kristian has been showing the way all season with his running, and winning basically every race that he shows up to. In the last running session we had, Gustav was also getting his run back. So I knew that I would need something special to beat them both.
Sticking to the gameplan
“I felt quite good, but it is easy to feel good at the start of a marathon. So I didn’t take anything for granted. I knew that I had some hard competitors just up the road that I needed to beat. So I needed to be smart if I was going to beat them. I said to myself that I was just happy to stick to my plan, and it worked for me.”
Neither Iden nor Blummenfelt had an answer to their compatriot as he recovered from a poor T2 to go on and break the 2hr 30min barrier with a hugely impressive run time of 2:29:25. The fact that all three of them came in under the eight-hour mark is a testament to the quality of their own individual efforts.
Blummenfelt, who was very much regarded as the favourite of the three pre-race, accepted that he was not good enough on the day, and could take some solace in the fact that he was able to stand on the podium alongside his colleagues – even if he would have preferred to have been standing with them either side of him.
When asked if this was the finishing order that he had foreseen when he first raised the prospect of a Norwegian 1-2-3, he said: “I think this is the order that only Casper was thinking about. I think Gustav was also dreaming about sitting in the winner’s chair, and I would also have liked to have won. This is sort of the third-best option of the sweep.
“I would always love to win the race, but I wasn’t good enough. This one doesn’t hurt as much as Kona last year. I’m taking my place on the podium with these guys, and it’s really cool to see how the team has been performing.
“We had a goal before the season that in every race where we were turning up, at least one of us should be on the podium, and that they would, in a way, represent the group. So to finish off in the biggest race of the year and take all three slots, I couldn’t have asked for more… Other than changing the order!”
In contrast, 2022 World Champion Iden had arrived in Nice with very little expectation on his shoulders after two years of injury and fitness struggles. His first words after crossing the line were to thank his colleagues for ‘dragging’ him through the training and getting him to a place where he was once again able to compete against the world’s very best.
Very emotional day
“Last year in Kona, I really tried to honour the race and finish, but I was kind of ashamed that I couldn’t finish it,” he said. “The journey has been truly insane. Many thanks to Casper and Kristian, who have honestly carried me through; they have really made me work for it. It has been very hard. It’s one thing to build back from an injury, but to do that when you are in really, really bad shape, it is a long, long journey.
“We have dreamed of this for a long time, and we came here in January to get ready for this race because we knew it would take a lot to be able to ride with Sam (Laidlow) and run with Patrick (Lange), and that was something that was really, really motivating for us. We have been trying this whole season to win this race, so to be able to do the podium sweep is just truly unbelievable.
“Of course, we are teammates, but you always want to win for yourself. So it was a bit tactical. I was super afraid of Kristian’s kick towards the end. So I tried to hold a high average pace and tire him out a little bit, but then I also tired myself out.
“I don’t think any tactics would have beaten Casper today. He was just that much better. To see him win his first world title, and hopefully the first of many, was special. And to actually be able to beat Kristian and finish second. It was very, very emotional for me.”
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