Winning on home soil always adds an extra dimension to a victory – and for Brazilians Fernando Toldi and Vittoria Lopes, today was exactly that. Both athletes dominated at the Ironman 70.3 Aracaju-Sergipe, leaving a memorable mark in front of their home crowd.
For Toldi, the race was a masterclass in consistency and strategy. During the swim, it was South African Dylan Nortje who posted the fastest split at 24:09, yet Toldi was part of a leading seven-man pack that quickly formed. On the bike, the group gradually thinned, leaving only Toldi, Reinaldo Colucci, and Filipe Azevedo at the front. By T2, the trio had built a solid 2:42 lead over Enzo Krauss, with Andre Lopes trailing by more than four minutes, and Nortje six minutes back.
The run initially saw Colucci taking charge – but the narrative quickly shifted. Within a few kilometers, Toldi had surged past him, followed shortly after by Azevedo. From there, Toldi controlled the race, crossing the finish line in 3:48:14. Azevedo secured second in 3:50:25, while Nortje climbed back to claim third in 3:52:11.
Lopes, meanwhile, put on a commanding performance from start to finish. Her swim of 25:46 gave her an early lead of nearly two and a half minutes over Bruna Stolf, and the advantage only grew with each kilometer. By T2, Lopes had already opened up a 14:24 lead over Fernanda Penkal in second place – and by the finish line, her dominance was clear, winning comfortably in 4:13:04. Pietra Meneghini took second in 4:34:04, and Mikelle Coelho rounded out the podium in 4:36:52.