The Belgians made a significant impact this Sunday during the 8th Ironman of Nice. The triathletes from the flat country won both the men’s and women’s main races. Special mention to Frederik Van Lierde who broke the event record. Let’s look back on this day full of emotion.
As early as 6:25 am, some people could be seen encouraging these “extraterrestrials,” as the speaker aptly described them at this 8th edition of the Ironman of Nice. Whether amateurs or professionals, all of them summoned the courage to tackle this true test of endurance: 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km cycling, and to top it all off, a 42.195 km running course. There’s no denying it, these athletes are indeed made of iron!
Among the men, after the swimming event, the competition was fierce. Three men were neck and neck: Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) and Anthony Pannier (FRA) exited the water together in 47 minutes and 22 seconds. Barely two seconds behind, Axel Zeebroek (BEL) was in close pursuit.
The 180 km cycling as the decider
For both men and women, cycling made the difference. Frederik Van Lierde completed the 180 km in just 4 hours and 35 minutes. His closest competitor, Anthony Pannier, was over 10 minutes behind… The outcome seemed almost decided. Among the women, Tine Deckers (BEL) also emerged with a significant lead over her main competitors.
Our two Belgians then “just had to” manage their lead. And some 42 km later, it was mission accomplished. Frederik Van Lierde even had the luxury of breaking the event record, previously held by Spaniard Marcel Zamora (08h28mn28s, time set in 2010), finishing in 8h21mn51s. Paul Amey (GBR) and François Chabaud (FRA) completed the podium. Tine Deckers ultimately finished this Ironman in 9h16mn05s, ranking first among women but also 15th overall. Behind her were Gina Crawford (NZL) and Kristin Möller (GER).
