It’s been a tumultuous year for Belgian triathlon superstar Marten Van Riel, but even he did not imagine it would end quite like this.
The brilliant 31-year-old went from the misery of a disappointing Paris 2024 Olympics to the highs of being crowned the first ever men’s T100 World Champion with some fantastic performances over middle distances.
On the back of that he decided to end his season by making his full-distance debut at IRONMAN Cozumel – a race he described as “a lucky shot” in a bid to claim a slot for the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice.
The early stages of the race appeared to be going to plan for Marten – he produced a lightning 39:48 swim (assisted by that famous Cozumel current). Then he led alone for most of the 111km bike leg, before disaster struck.
Van Riel bike crash
Van Riel explained in a post on his Instagram account how he lost control of his bike and swerved into the side of the road, where he hit a little girl who was watching the race.
At this stage Marten’s hopes of victory become very much secondary, with the health of both the little fan and the athlete himself paramount, as police arrived at the scene to take a report.
Marten would eventually resume his race, closing the day with a 2:39:48 marathon for seventh place, before heading to hospital for X-rays and stitches to his injured elbows. He was also reunited with the little girl, and shared pictures of the pair in that Instagram post.
Marten tells the real story
He wrote: “Not how I expected my first Ironman to plan out 🥹 To bring everyone up to date and have the real story;
“After 175km on the bike I lost control of my bike (on a cateye or hole in the road) and swerved into the side where a little girl was supporting the race. Unfortunately I hit her at 50 km/h and crashed very hard. Luckily the girl had her family there and she looked relatively ok except for a cut in her finger. The ambulance was quickly there and provided first aid to both of us, later the police also came to take a report.
“After the race I got brought to the hospital to get my elbows stitched and do some x-rays. Cozumel has only one hospital so the girl was also there and I was able to talk with her and give her my finisher medal and a shirt. Her mom told me that every year she watches the race, and I really hope this won’t change that!
“On the brighter side @bartaernouts winning the race and coming to the hospital to support me afterwards was great to see 😊”
A statement from IRONMAN read: “We are aware of an accident at IRONMAN Cozumel in which professional triathlete, Marten Van Riel, lost control of his bike, veering off course, and colliding with a young spectator who was watching the race from the sidelines. Van Riel waited with the spectator until emergency services could arrive and attend to them both. After following required local law enforcement protocols, Van Riel was able to continue with his race. “
“We are thankful to learn that neither the spectator nor Van Riel sustained any serious injuries, and we extend our gratitude to the medical personnel who treated both the athlete and spectator promptly.”
We send our best wishes to both Marten and the little fan for a speedy recovery from their injuries.
