Jelle Geens has targeted an historic hat-trick of IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship titles after confirming that his dream to race at Kona has been postponed due to injury concerns.
The Belgian, who will arrive in Nice on the back of wins in 2024 and 2025, has decided to focus on securing a record third title after admitting defeat in his quest to line up on the Big Island later this year.
With his Kona qualification yet to be secured after a difficult long-distance debut in Texas and ongoing issues with a Grade 2 femoral shaft stress reaction, he would have needed to race at IRONMAN Kalmar in two weeks to have any hope of making it to Kamakahonu Beach.
Kona dream was too much of a risk
Having already removed his name from the Lake Placid start list, Geens reluctantly accepted that trying to qualify at Kalmar just four weeks ahead of the 70.3 worlds in Nice and then compete in Kona a further four weeks after that – provided he qualifies – was simply too much of a risk.
The fear of striving for Hawaii off the back of an injury and then damaging his hopes of a potential ‘triple crown’ of 70.3 wins means he will now turn his full-distance attentions to 2027.
Explaining the decision on the All In Triathlon podcast with Aaron Royle, which has been embedded into this story below, Geens admitted the uncertainty had become mentally exhausting.
Having made Kona his number one target for 2026, his debut full-distance race in Texas ended with a DNF, and injury has prevented him from having another crack at qualification.
Kona discussion was mentally exhausting
“I took my name off the Kalmar start list three or four weeks ago, maybe. I was doubting a lot. Basically, I had two options: go for the 70.3 World Championships in Nice and try to win it for a third time, or do IRONMAN Kalmar, then do Nice four weeks later and Kona four weeks after that, while still trying to get fit.
“I doubted for a long time what to do, and in the end I decided to go for Nice and not try for Kalmar and Kona. First I had to qualify in Kalmar, which Texas proved is not so easy. I made the decision because I was constantly doubting and thinking about it, and talking with people about it was affecting me mentally.
“I could maybe have been ready for Kalmar in two weeks, but I think the risk was just too great because then if something happens in Kalmar and I don’t qualify for Kona, then I won’t be good in Nice because I just did an IRONMAN four weeks before, and I can’t go to Kona anyway… so then my whole season would be s**t.
“I parked the Kona plans for another year, I guess.”
Focus now fully on 70.3 Worlds
Currently on a training camp in Andorra, he is keen to stress that while his plan now is to push for more 70.3 glory, he has not given up completely on his Kona dream; indeed, that goal will now form a basis for the remainder of his triathlon career.
“Lake Placid was definitely too much of a risk; Kalmar less so, but it’s more a risk of going all in on something where I’ve never even been able to finish an IRONMAN,” he explained. “If I was maybe a few years older, and it was one of my last years, I for sure would have done it.
“But I back myself for another good five to six years. So, I have more years where I can really go for Kona. My heart was saying I still wanted to go for Kona, but I decided to unregister so that I can’t change my mind and I can focus on Nice.
“I feel like, from now until the end of my career, my goal will be trying to win IRONMAN in Kona. It stung a bit that this year I really wanted to go for Kona; I was really giving myself a good chance of being competitive, but I think I made a few silly mistakes post-Texas.
“I think we learned from it, and I’ll hopefully be there next year in Kona to give it a good crack, and my plan is to qualify early so I’m not in the same situation.”
‘Really cool’ to make history
Decision made, he can now fully put his mind to the task at hand, and that is to become the very first athlete to win the 70.3 World Championships for three consecutive seasons.
He will swap Andorra for the south of France three weeks ahead of the big race and is confident that his injury concerns will be behind him and that he can give it his absolute all.
“Deciding to unregister, I think that was good because I am now very motivated to go for Nice, especially now the course is finally out, and it’s the same as previous years, and I am very happy with that,” he said. “It would be really cool to be the first male athlete to win three times in a row at the IRONMAN 70.3 world champs.”
The 70.3 World Championships take place in Nice on the weekend of September 12 and 13.
