Frankfurt/Main – Two-time Hawaii winner Patrick Lange has once again missed out on success at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt. The 37-year-old triathlon star from Bad Wildungen struggled particularly at the start of the running segment along the Main. In his frustration, Lange even confronted a spectator who allegedly insulted him. After a comeback, he finished the race as eighth, crossing the red carpet at Römerberg.
“That was definitely a tough defeat and the Frankfurt curse is not over,” Lange said on Hessischer Rundfunk, particularly lamenting his swimming performance: “It was just really, really bad.”
The long-distance race was won by Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt in a commanding 7:27:21 hours, despite having to vomit during the final marathon. The second place behind the Tokyo 2021 Olympic champion went to British athlete Kieran Lindars (+4:53 minutes), followed by Gregory Barnaby (+6:23) from Italy. The best German was Jonas Hoffmann from Münster, who finished sixth (+10:18). Lange had a deficit of 11:49 minutes to the winner.
Lange struggles with back pain
The co-favorite had to drop out in July at the classic in Roth after receiving a kick to the ribs at the swimming start. Despite missing the home victory in Frankfurt, he still has a good chance for a starting spot at the World Championship in October in Hawaii.
After the 3.86-kilometer swim in Langener Waldsee, Lange was over four minutes behind the leaders. The gap increased a bit more by the time he switched to the 180.2-kilometer cycling segment through Frankfurt and Wetterau.
During the 42.195-kilometer run, Lange battled back pain and struggled significantly at times: “The first lap was hell on earth,” he said. In the last 15 kilometers, he found his rhythm and overtook several rivals. The women’s European Championship had already taken place in June in Hamburg, so only amateur female athletes competed in Frankfurt.