Marten van Riel wins the T100 Ibiza

Martin Van Riel continues unstoppable in the middle distance, adding a new victory to his record in the fifth stop of the T100 Triathlon Tour, held in Ibiza.

With this victory, the Belgian becomes the first male athlete to win twice on the T100 circuit, positioning himself as the leading candidate to become the T100 champion with just two races remaining.

Van Riel, who made his debut in the modality HOMBRE DE HIERRO 70.3 in 2019, he has emerged as a reference in this distance, combining speed and endurance perfectly.

The event began with a swim at Figueretas beach, where Van Riel led from the first few metres, coming out of the water in first position with a time of 24:46.

During the cycling segment, Van Riel remained among the leaders despite the constant changes in position at the head of the race, with the British Alistair Brownlee showing its threat from behind.

However, Brownlee was penalized for an incident of Drafting, which relegated him more than a minute from the lead.

Frederic Bogen was the first to emerge from the second transition, followed by Van Riel, Sam Laidlow, Frederic Funk and Mika Noodt. Within less than a kilometre, Laidlow and Van Riel overtook Bogen, taking the lead.

During the 18-kilometer run, Laidlow took the lead, but Van Riel always stayed close.

With 3,3km to go, the Belgian produced an impressive turn of pace, reaching 94% of his maximum heart rate to distance himself from Laidlow and secure his victory.

Van Riel crossed the finish line with a time of 03:11:36 after a brilliant race split of 57:45, consolidating himself as the best T100 athlete.

"My main goal before this year was to become the first T100 triathlon world champion and I am fully committed to it.", Van Riel said after the race. "SIf I continue to perform at my best in each race, I will be very close to achieving it.".

Sam Laidlow finished second, 30 seconds behind Van Riel, with Mika Noodt completing the podium, recording his first top-three in the T3 after being sixth in Singapore and fifth in San Francisco. "ItI was hoping for an upgrade and I'm so glad I got it.", Noodt commented.

Antonio Benito, our only representative in the test finished in the sixth final position 

Alistair BrownleeDespite the penalty, he finished in fourth place after a great comeback in the foot race. "I made a mistake in drafting and the penalty was fair. After that, I just tried to do my best until the end.l", the Briton acknowledged.

With just two races remaining on the circuit, at Lake Las Vegas and Dubai, Van Riel is in prime position to be crowned champion.

Laidlow, who also aspires to be the best triathlete in the world, acknowledged the talent and determination of his rival: "Today I lost to an amazing athlete and a great person. Marten is just phenomenal.".

Van Riel takes 35 points and $25,000, moving up to fourth in the overall T100 standings. Laidlow added 28 points and $16,000, consolidating his third place in the standings after replacing a 0 for his DNF in Singapore.

Top 10 T100 Ibiza men's 2024