There was no shortage of Brazilian talent on the start line at this year’s Ironman 70.3 Rio de Janeiro, but it was Argentina’s Luciano Taccone who stole the show with a decisive victory. The host nation also missed out in the women’s race, where France’s Julie Iemmolo proved untouchable.
The men’s race was electric from the gun – helped by a shortened swim segment that set the tone for blistering times. Taccone emerged from the water in 14:07, powered through the bike in 2:00:39, and sealed the win with a 1:11:33 half marathon, stopping the clock at 3:31:24. The next twelve finishers were all Brazilian, led by Reinaldo Colucci, who claimed second in 3:35:44 after a fierce sprint finish. Fernando Toldi was just three seconds back in 3:35:47 to round out the podium.
In the women’s field, Iemmolo delivered a commanding performance from start to finish. She clocked 14:29 in the swim, 2:16:07 on the bike, and 1:25:09 on the run to post a winning time of 4:01:23 – well ahead of local favorite Pamella Oliveira (4:05:29). Argentina’s Romina Biagioli completed the top three in 4:14:33.
