Hayden Wilde wins the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Nice 2026
Hayden Wilde has been crowned IRONMAN 70.3 world champion in Nice 2026 with a time of 3:50:51, ahead of Kristian Blummenfelt and Jelle Geens, after deciding the race in the final stretch of the half marathon.
The New Zealander entered the run within the lead group after consistently staying near the front on the bike and ultimately prevailed by just 18 seconds over Kristian Blummenfelt . Jelle Geens, winner of the last two IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, completed the podium with a time of 3:52:40.
The victory marks Wilde's first IRONMAN 70.3 world title , having previously finished second in Taupō in 2024 and arriving in Nice as one of the main favorites.
A very tight group after the swim
The swim left the race wide open. Seth Rider was the first out of the water with a time of 23:28, but the gaps between the main contenders were minimal.
Hayden Wilde clocked 23:44 , Jelle Geens 23:39 and Kristian Blummenfelt 23:50. Within just a few seconds were also men like Jamie Riddle, Jonas Schomburg, Casper Stornes and Marten Van Riel.
With so many favorites grouped together, the cycling segment became the first real selection point.
Wilde gets involved in the fight at the Col de Vence
In the first few kilometers of cycling, Josh Ferris, Michele Bortolamedi, Jamie Riddle, Jonas Schomburg and Lasse Nygaard Priester were part of the group that took the initiative.
The climb to the Col de Vence , the main difficulty of the route, allowed Wilde to recover positions and once again place himself among the men fighting for the race.
The New Zealander finished the 90-kilometer cycling leg in 2:16:50 , the second-best split of the day, and arrived at T2 within the leading group.
Michele Bortolamedi led the way into the second transition, followed by Wilde, Rico Bogen, Josh Ferris, and Nygaard Priester. Gustav Iden led a chase group about 30 seconds behind, while Blummenfelt and Geens started the run further back.
Geens and Blummenfelt come from behind in the half marathon
Wilde and Nygaard Priester started the half marathon at a very high pace, but behind them Jelle Geens and Kristian Blummenfelt began a rapid comeback.
Geens moved from 12th to third before the halfway point of the running race, while Blummenfelt, who had started the bike leg in 16th position, was even faster.
The Norwegian ended up posting the best running split of the day with 1:05:12 and overtook rivals until he became the main threat to Wilde.
Meanwhile, Wilde accelerated to drop Nygaard Priester and managed to open up a sufficient gap to face the final kilometers in the lead.
Blummenfelt closes in to 18 seconds, but Wilde holds on.
With five kilometers to go, it seemed that Wilde had the race under control, but Blummenfelt continued to close the gap.
The New Zealander responded by increasing his pace again with about three kilometers to go. The gap continued to shrink, and in the final kilometer, Blummenfelt was only 18 seconds behind.
Wilde looked back in the final meters, maintained his lead, and crossed the finish line in 3:50:51 to claim the world title. Blummenfelt finished second in 3:51:09, and Geens secured third place in 3:52:40.
Hayden Wilde's partials
| Segment | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming | 23:44 | 1:15 min/100 m |
| T1 | 2:16 | |
| Cycling | 2:16:50 | 40,75 km/h |
| T2 | 0:42 | |
| Race on foot | 1:07:21 | 3: 13 min / km |
| Total | 3:50:51 |
Blummenfelt second and Geens third
Kristian Blummenfelt finished second with a time of 3:51:09 after posting the fastest half marathon of the day. Defending champion Jelle Geens was third with a time of 3:52:40.
Gustav Iden finished fourth in 3:53:16, followed by Lasse Nygaard Priester and Casper Stornes. Jamie Riddle, Jonas Schomburg, Samuel Dickinson, and Michele Bortolamedi completed the top 10.
Spaniard Vicente Hernández finished in 28th position with 4:03:37 , after completing the swimming in 23:48, the cycling in 2:25:45 and the half marathon in 1:10:25.
Top 10 World IRONMAN 70.3 Nice 2026
| Pos | Triathlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayden Wilde | 3:50:51 |
| 2 | Kristian Blummenfelt | 3:51:09 |
| 3 | Jelle Geens | 3:52:40 |
| 4 | Gustav Iden | 3:53:16 |
| 5 | Lasse Nygaard Priester | 3:54:08 |
| 6 | Casper Stornes | 3:54:23 |
| 7 | Jamie riddle | 3:54:44 |
| 8 | Jonas Schomburg | 3:55:23 |
| 9 | Samuel Dickinson | 3:55:40 |
| 10 | Michele Bortolamedi | 3:55:51 |
You can check the complete men's and women's classification of the IRONMAN 70.3 Nice 2026 World Championship.
Wilde's victory confirms him as one of the main names highlighted in the men's preview of the IRONMAN 70.3 Nice 2026 World Championship.
The result also changes the script compared to the IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella 2025 World Championship , where Geens beat Blummenfelt by just three seconds.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
