US triathlon superstar Sam Long has to redefine meaning of winning after T100 Vancouver

It was over for US triathlon superstar Sam Long in Vancouver almost as soon as the swim leg finished at Saturday’s T100 blockbuster.

‘The Big Unit’ came out of the water last of the 20-strong field, down 4:35 on the leaders, and was never in contention after that.

But Long still hopes he inspired others with his courage and resilience after battling back to finish 11th on a tough day. It came just six days after he had claimed victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman.

Long fighting against the odds

Posting on his Instagram account shortly after the race, Long said: “That wraps up a big race block for me. After last week’s win, today was a different kind of test. I felt strong and gave it what I had, but sometimes the race is an uphill battle.

“Right now, if I can’t fight for the win at T100 I have to create a different meaning of what winning means. Right now, it means I’ll show strength in other ways: through courage, resilience, and attitude. I’m proud to keep showing up, racing hard, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same. And hey, I always try to keep things entertaining too 😅

“The cheers and crowd out there was awesome. Also thanks to the entire team on T100 who I see working so hard!”

Belgian one-two

It was Belgium all the way in Vancouver as Jelle Geens led home compatriot Marten Van Riel, with the podium completed by Germany’s Mika Noodt.

Long skipped the T100 in San Francisco to focus on Vancouver instead, but while he hasn’t finished outside the top two in an IRONMAN 70.3 all season, his results in these events have been underwhelming so far.

Big focus for ‘Big Unit’ is Nice

The 29-year-old, who admits podium finishes at T100 events could be tough for him this year, also finished eighth at the T100 Singapore in April.

Long is under contract to compete at five T100 events this year so he still has three more to come, including the French Riviera T100 on August 30.

He plans to use that one as a warm-up to his big focus for 2025 – the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice on September 14.