TRIATHLON – BAHRAIN Victorious 13 superstar Vincent Luis from France and team alumnus Georgia Taylor-Brown from Britain were both crowned champions for the second straight year yesterday in a hugely exciting Ironman 70.3 Bahrain 2025.
Luis took the professional men’s win ahead of teammate Vasco Vilaca from Portugal, who was making his debut in a middle-distance race, to complete a sensational Bahrain Victorious 13 one-two. Pieter Heemeryck from Belgium came third.
Former Olympic and world champion Taylor-Brown then triumphed amongst the professional women to maintain her perfect record so far in the kingdom, powering to victory on her second participation.
India Lee, also from Britain, claimed third place amongst the pro women, joining Luis and Vilaca as Bahrain Victorious 13 athletes on their respective podiums. Natalie Van Coevorden from Australia was the runner-up.
Nearly 500 triathletes, both men and women of various ages and nationalities, took part in this year’s Ironman 70.3 Bahrain, which was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
The top three pro men and women were honoured in a podium ceremony by Ironman 70.3 Bahrain organising committee representative Ahmed Al Hajj.
The winners were also celebrated in the official awards ceremony and banquet, held last night and attended by His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian works and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Luis was first out of the water yesterday following the race’s opening 1.9-kilometre swim. He was also the first off the bike after the 90km ride, and the first to complete the 21.1km run to make for a dominant performance and a hat-trick of wins in Bahrain, adding to his titles in 2022 and 2024.
“It was quick from the start – [Chase] McQueen and I tried to break away on the swim but Vasco managed to stay with us and I was really impressed,” Luis, a former Olympic bronze-medallist, said after the race, which started and finished at the Ironman Village near Reef Island.
“On the bike, it was a bit cat-and-mouse too, but I think we rode a few minutes faster than last year. It was quite fast, not too windy today, and I was just trying to save as much energy as I could.
“Then, on the run, I had a little bit of a gap after transition and I pushed for two laps so I could manage a little bit at the end.”
Luis won in an ultra-quick race time of three hours 29 minutes and eight seconds – one of the fastest in the world in the 70.3-mile distance. He finished his swim in 21:59, his bike in 1:55:48, and his run in 1:08:33.
“I’m really happy to be here and to be a three-time winner,” added Luis. “Every time I come, I have the support from the crowd and it’s absolutely wonderful.
“It’s definitely a fast race here – we knew that. It was just on the Formula One track where we were a bit slower today, surprisingly. But we had a good group and we kind of worked together, and on the run – maybe if one or two guys were with me I could have pushed a bit more – it’s definitely a fast race and at some point, we can get closer to the fastest time in the world.”
Of Vilaca’s second-place finish in 3:31:19, Luis said: “Vasco reminds me of my younger self. My dad is from Portugal too, so we have a bit of a connection.
“It’s really good for his first one. I think he is really happy he didn’t have any problems with nutrition – that’s always what you’re a bit scared of for the first one. But a podium on your debut with his time is really impressive.”
Heemeryck came third amongst the pro men in a time of 3:34:04
On the distaff, Taylor-Brown also enjoyed a solo run to the finish line. She completed her race in 3:51:19, clocking a time of 25:17 in the opening swim leg, 2:06:48 on the bike, and 1:16:11 in the concluding half-marathon.
Van Coevorden followed just over two minutes behind in 3:53:34, while Lee came third in 3:56:35.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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