It was a day of breakthroughs and commanding performances at Ironman 70.3 Knokke-Heist, where Britain’s Cameron Main and Dutch Diede Diederiks claimed impressive victories on the Belgian coast.
Main seizes control in the men’s race
From the opening strokes in the Belgium waters, Cameron Main set the tone. The Brit exited the water at the head of a large front pack, with several top contenders tightly bunched behind him. The bike leg developed into a tactical battle, with a sizeable group staying in touch for much of the 90 kilometers. But in the closing stages, Main pushed clear, entering T2 with a narrow buffer over Joe Skipper (+0:36), Belgian Pamphiel Pareyn (+0:53), Frenchman Simon Viain, and Belgian Dieter Comhair.
Once on the half marathon, Main wasted no time in showing his intent. Running with confidence and control, he steadily built his lead, breaking the race wide open over the final 10 kilometers. He crossed the line in 3:29:32 to claim a wonderful victory.
The home crowd had reason to cheer as well, with Belgians Comhair (3:43:51) and Pareyn (3:43:56) rounding out the podium in second and third respectively.
Diederiks storms to victory in the women’s race
If Main led from the front, Diede Diederiks had to do it the hard way. The Dutch athlete exited the water nearly four minutes down in ninth place, with Britain’s Molly Savill setting the early pace. But Diederiks is renowned for her strength on the bike and proved it once again. Within 25 kilometers she had surged into the top five, and by the halfway mark she was dictating the race from the front.
Arriving in T2 with a commanding four-minute advantage over Denmark’s Katrine Græsbøll Christensen – who later faded on the run – Diederiks looked firmly in control. Behind her, a chase group featuring Justine Mathieux, Jasmine Holmes, Marie Luyckx, Bridget Theunissen, Sofia Aguayo Mauri, Savill, and Abigail Bedwell tried to limit the damage.
On the half marathon, Diederiks managed her effort perfectly. Mathieux moved into second and held the gap at around 4:30 for much of the run, but Diederiks never looked in danger. She broke the tape in 4:09:15, celebrating her first win of the season and sending a strong signal just weeks before her Ironman World Championship debut on Kona. Mathieux finished runner-up in 4:13:36, with South Africa’s Bridget Theunissen completing the podium in 4:18:05.