In a race that was largely overshadowed by the intense racing frenzy at Challenge Roth, Lasse Nygaard Priester and Bianca Bogen claimed victory today at the European Championship Ironman 70.3 in Jönköping. With their wins, both European titles head home to German athletes.
While Priester secured his victory with a comfortable margin, Bogen had to fight for it until the absolute final moments. Crossing the finish line with a time of 4:06:51, she finished a mere 37 seconds ahead of France’s Marjolaine Pierre. Pierre spent practically the entire half marathon breathing down Bogen’s neck, keeping the suspense alive right up to the tape.
Both women started the run section shoulder-to-shoulder, initially accompanied by Lena Meissner. Meissner was the first of the leading trio to drop off the pace, while Pierre initially took charge of the running tempo. However, her lead didn’t last long. After a few kilometers, Bogen pulled alongside her, and although the gap between the two remained razor-thin, Bogen never relinquished the lead. The bronze medal ultimately went to Denmark’s Anastacia Damm Nielsen, who crossed the line in 4:10:11.
On the men’s side, the margin of victory was much wider, allowing Nygaard Priester to thoroughly enjoy his final kilometers. At the start of the concluding half marathon, he was running neck-and-neck with Sweden’s Robert Kallin, while Fabian Kraft started the run in third place, trailing by 1:18 minutes. It was Kraft who quickly surged past Kallin – who would eventually drop off the podium altogether – but all of this action unfolded a safe distance behind the eventual winner.
Nygaard Priester took the gold in a stellar time of 3:33:50. Kraft secured second place in 3:38:29, and Britain’s Harry Palmer rounded out the podium in third with a time of 3:40:05.
