In a race marked by attrition and fierce competition, Germany’s Finn Grosse-Freese delivered a commanding performance to claim victory at Ironman Klagenfurt, finishing in a blistering time of 7:52:55. The triumph not only marks a career-best for Grosse-Freese, but also solidifies his status as a rising force on the Long Distance triathlon scene.
From the outset, Grosse-Freese showed he meant business. In the waters of Lake Wörthersee, he latched onto the feet of renowned swim specialist Lukasz Wojt, emerging from the 3.8-kilometer swim in a leading quartet alongside Christophe de Keyser and Simon Viain, clocking 48:39.
The early stages of the bike leg saw this front group hold firm, trading pulls and maintaining a strong pace. But as the race progressed into the Kärnten hills, the dynamics began to shift. A hard-charging Josh Lewis and Frenchman Clément Mignon bridged up, injecting new life into the front pack. However, this reshuffle proved short-lived.
By the final 40 kilometers of the 180K bike course, the lead group had narrowed to four again: Grosse-Freese, Mignon, Lewis, and Wojt. It was here that Grosse-Freese made his decisive move, stretching the gap and laying the groundwork for what would become a solo charge to the finish.
Behind him during the run, the marathon turned into a battle for the remaining podium spots, but the German remained untouchable. Running with poise and precision, Grosse-Freese held his lead to the line, crossing in 7:52:55 and celebrating the biggest win of his career.
Veteran Austrian Michael Weiss thrilled the home crowd by storming to second place in 7:57:43, while Norway’s Kristian Grue closed hard to round out the podium in 7:57:51.
