History was made on Sunday at the World Triathlon Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships in Zofingen. On a day that delivered relentless title battles, Germany’s Merle Brunnée etched her name into the record books with an extraordinary fifth world title. Meanwhile, France’s Émile Blondel-Hermant put on a masterclass of his own, smashing the men’s course record to reclaim the crown.
Men’s Race: Blondel-Hermant Rewrites the Record Book
Émile Blondel-Hermant delivered a performance for the ages. The Frenchman broke away from the field early and never looked back, crossing the finish line in a staggering 5:50:30. His winning time shaved eight minutes off the previous course record and placed him a massive twelve minutes ahead of runner-up Jonathan Wayaffe of Belgium.
The victory marks Blondel-Hermant’s second Zofingen title following his 2024 triumph. It also served as redemption after a mechanical failure on the bike forced a premature exit in 2025. Defending champion Baptiste Domanico ensured a double-podium day for France by securing third place, but he finished over 23 minutes behind Blondel-Hermant.
It was a grueling day for the host nation, however. Swiss co-favorite Jens-Michael Gossauer was forced to withdraw early in the race, while teammate Benjamin Ueltschi was sidelined prior to the start due to health issues.
Women’s Race: Brunnée Stands Alone with Title Number Five
The women’s championship (10km run, 150km bike, 30km run) proved to be an exercise in pure resilience for Merle Brunnée. Despite losing valuable time to an early crash, the German star recovered smoothly, reclaimed her lead on the grueling bike section, and pulled away from her international rivals.
Controlling the pace masterfully throughout the final 30km run, Brunnée broke the tape in 6:45:51, almost seven minutes ahead of Great Britain’s Rachel Brown and about 35 minutes ahead of bronze medallist Hana Kalarova. The win moves Brunnée past all predecessors to become the most decorated athlete in the event’s history.
“The fact that I managed to win my fifth title and set the record all by myself feels absolutely surreal,” an elated Brunnée said at the finish line.
