Carried by his audience, triathlete Alexandre Caille managed to secure a fine 2nd place at the Ironman 70.3 world championships in his age category. A performance unthinkable for him just a few years ago.
Some stories in the amateur world surpass the achievements of professional athletes. Alexandre Caille, 32, signed a fine second place today at the Ironman 70.3 world championships at home in Nice (amateur, 30-34 age category, Editor’s note).
This is his second podium finish at this distance after his title in 2024, one might almost say that high-level performance is a habit for him. Yet he hasn’t always dominated the podiums. Six years ago, the Nice native was not athletic and was even obese (120 kilos for 1.70m).
The starting point of his life change was a simple invitation from his best friend: « he invited me to a crossfit session, I first declined because I didn’t feel capable, and then, to please him, I ended up accepting. I immediately got hooked, it was a turning point. When I left the gym I decided I was going to take control of my life. »
No sooner said than done, Alexandre Caille doesn’t do things by halves. In three months, he loses 40 kilos then establishes a very structured routine in his life. Training, food, everything is managed perfectly to continue his transformation. « There is no miracle recipe, simply a lot of discipline », he assures.
Later, the Azurean discovers running, then cycling, and finally swimming, which he begins to practice following an injury. This is the beginning of his triathlon adventure, which materializes, in early 2024, with his first Ironman 70.3.
The French athlete took a liking to it, and, still in 2024, becomes amateur world champion of Ironman 70.3 in New Zealand. A remarkable achievement less than a year after starting in the sport: « it’s clear that it’s a performance that can surprise when you see where I came from, but it’s the result of long work. »
A new podium at home
After a more complicated 2025 season, marked by several physical setbacks, Alexandre Caille arrived this morning looking for revenge to reclaim his Ironman 70.3 world champion title.
Cautious in swimming, the Azurean gained places as the race progressed: « I was somewhat the target of my opponents, especially the French, so they went after me in the swimming because they swim better, and we came out together. On the bike and in running I was more comfortable setting my pace, but my opponents were solid, it was hard to make a difference. »
After returning in 4th position at the end of the cycling portion, the Nice native didn’t give up, driven by a fired-up crowd on the Promenade des Anglais: « it’s incredible how people really support us, and you only find that in sport. What’s crazy is that even the people who are making their effort encourage you. It’s a particular atmosphere here, it’s the city of world sport. »
At the end of the effort, Alexandre Caille managed to catch up with several of his competitors to finish in second position, with just a single second ahead of his compatriot Anatole Giraud-Telme.
His next goal in a month, on October 10, with the Ironman long-distance world championships in Kona, an event for which he still has great ambitions: « I have training more geared toward long distance, so I can’t necessarily go very fast, but on the other hand I can maintain that pace for longer. That bodes well for Kona in a month. »
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