Defending champion Stornes withdraws from Ironman after training crash
Ironman world champion Casper Stornes on Friday ruled himself out of his title defence in Hawaii after crashing during a training ride. The Norwegian triathlete said a gust of wind caught the front wheel of his bike on Thursday, sending him over the handlebars.
Norwegian triathlete Casper Stornes has announced he will not defend his Ironman title in Hawaii after sustaining injuries during a training session. The 31-year-old racer suffered a broken collarbone and a fractured L3 vertebra when a gust of wind knocked the front wheel of his bicycle from beneath him on Thursday. Stornes documented his fall in a video shared on Instagram, expressing disappointment at the setback, though he noted it could have been far worse.
He praised his training partner, Gustav Iden, for narrowly avoiding the crash, deeming it a stroke of luck. The Ironman World Championships, set to take place in Kona on October 10, is a grueling race comprising a 3.9km swim, a 180.2km bicycle ride, and a 42.2km marathon run. Stornes secured his first Ironman victory in Nice last year, leading a historic podium sweep for Norway, which also included Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt.
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