Less than two weeks after being crowned IRONMAN World Champion, Solveig Løvseth is already feeling the benefits of her new-found status as her sport’s leading athlete.
The 26-year-old Norwegian stormed to victory on a brutal Sunday in Kona to secure her first title in a race regarded by many as one of the most dramatic and exhausting in World Championship history.
Cementing her place among the IRONMAN greats will have been reward enough for the seemingly always-smiling Løvseth, but this week, she announced a new deal with the Swiss sportswear brand ON – the same stable which looks after compatriots and fellow champions Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden.
Perfect fit for champion
Having impressed the ON team with her win at Lake Placid in July, Løvseth was contacted to see if she was interested in switching to the Swiss team’s brand, and in particular, their Cloudboom Strike running shoe.
There could be no better confirmation that it was the perfect fit, as she wore the shoe in her first-ever World Championship event and secured a memorable victory as those around her faltered in the heat and humidity of the Big Island.
And the athlete revealed that one aspect in particular was crucial to ensuring she had the right footwear – her wobbly running technique.
“I’m really excited about joining and being a part of the ON family,” she said. “I have heard a lot of good things about the whole team and how they help their athletes and just how detail-oriented they are, especially since both Kristian and Gustav are part of the team and they are good friends of mine, and they have just been saying a lot of good things.
“The Cloudboom Strike felt really good during the race. For me, the most important thing is that the shoes feel quite stable to run in. I have a bit of a wobbly run technique, and when I get tired, that gets even worse; so I think it’s really important for me to have a shoe that, when I get tired, won’t crack.”
Had a feeling she might win
Maria Ortega, Triathlon Athlete Manager at ON, explained their decision to offer Løvseth the new deal: “We’ve been following Solveig’s potential all year, and her performance in Lake Placid truly caught our attention.
“We had a feeling she could win in Kona and sent her some shoes to test. Having another Norwegian rookie validate our product on the world’s biggest stage, especially at the age of 26 – the same age Gustav was in 2022 – is an incredible reward for our team’s hard work.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Solveig to the team. Her outstanding performance is matched by her extraordinary passion for the sport, a passion that seems to be her secret to success.”
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