Nearly 20 years after the last French victory at the Ironman of Nice, Clément Mignon has broken the curse. With flair, he managed to secure the win this Sunday on the Promenade des Anglais.
It took 18 years of waiting for a Frenchman to reclaim the top spot on the podium at the legendary Ironman of Nice event. Triathlete Clément Mignon won yesterday in 8 hours and 17 minutes. The last French winner of the race was Hervé Faure in 2005. Trailing a small lead group after the swimming segment, the triathlete won the race with almost a seven-minute lead over Belgian Bert Aernouts. Jonas Hoffmann completed the podium three minutes after the second place finisher. The French triathlete has firmly confirmed his form and ambition for the upcoming world triathlon championships.
A Superhuman Course
Beyond the records, finishing the race is already a challenge in itself. The course began with 3.8 km in the Mediterranean Sea, followed by a 180 km cycling loop in the hinterland, then a marathon of 42.195 km on the Promenade des Anglais. Athletes have a total of 16 hours to complete the circuit, and some drop out well before. On Monday, a 70-year-old woman narrowly escaped drowning, saved just in time by rescuers. Another man suffered a cardiac arrest during the cycling segment, taken to the hospital by helicopter by the medical service. His life is not in danger.
