He’s one of the most successful short-distance triathletes out there, but he decided to give a Middle Distance a go at the end of his 2021 season. Probably inspired by some fellow short-distance athlete who made the switch – like Norway’s Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt – Vincent Luis yesterday toed the line of his first longer distance: Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells. And he delivered, but probably Luis still didn’t end up as high on the podium as he was hoping for. Luis ran to an impressive second place, though, that’s extra special considering that he did so despite being hit by a car and crashing just before T2.
“Second in Indian Wells today for my first 70.3. I swam well and was pushing good watts. With ten km to go, I still had a two-minute lead, but then a car hit me and I hit the ground really hard. I jumped back on my bike and reached T2 with Lionel Sanders. My run was just a struggle and my only goal was to reach the finish line and have a check-up with a doctor”, Luis shared on Instagram.
Sanders, who ended up winning, commented earlier that it is a strange win to him. Due to the crash of Luis, but also due to the five-minute penalty that Belgian’s Jelle Geens had to serve. However, Geens didn’t let that stop him and ran back to a third place.
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