The men’s 2025 Ironman World Championship in Nice delivered not only record-breaking performances but a historic moment in triathlon: an all-Norwegium podium sweep, led by a rising star who is now, definitively, no longer “the other Norwegian.”
28-year-old Casper Stornes won his Ironman World Championship debut in emphatic fashion, crossing the line in 7:51:39, a time that shattered Sam Laidlow’s previous course record by nearly 15 minutes. His triumph also marked the fastest marathon ever run at a World Championship, a blistering 2:29:25 that left no doubt: a new force has arrived.
“They [Kristian and Gustav] are the reason why I’m world champion now today,” Stornes said post-race. “I’m so happy that we took the podium together. We knew we could do it so it was good to do it.”
Swim: Front Pack Pushes the Pace, Laidlow Falters
The day began with more than just a scenic sunrise over the Mediterranean. It began with strategy.
In a move that appeared premeditated, a group of the sport’s fastest swimmers launched an aggressive, coordinated effort to break the race open from the very first strokes. Jamie Riddle surged to the front early, even taking a few casual backstrokes mid-swim to glance behind and allow his fellow front-runners to rotate through. Marten Van Riel and Jonas Schomberg each took significant turns at the front, driving the pace. Andreas Salvisberg ultimately exited the water first with a record-setting 45:11 swim.
Their strategy worked: the front group established nearly a full minute of separation on the chase group heading into T1. But the biggest surprise was who wasn’t there.
Defending champion Sam Laidlow, typically one of the first out of the water, was noticeably absent from the lead group. Mid-swim, Laidlow appeared to pause, at one point seemingly turning back toward shore, before deciding to continue. He ultimately exited the water nearly two minutes down.
As for the other top names, Casper Stornes exited the water with the front group, just nine seconds off the lead. Kristian Blummenfelt was 56 seconds back, while Gustav Iden and Patrick Lange were with Sam Laidlow, approximately two minutes down.
Bike: Front Trio Work Together, Laidlow Rips Through the Field
With a lead group already established out of the water, the front three made it clear early on that they weren’t done working together. Marten Van Riel, Jamie Riddle, and Jonas Schomberg picked up right where they left off, taking turns at the front and pushing the pace across the twisting climbs and descents of the French Riviera course.
Van Riel, in particular, stood out. His descending was fearless, and around the 120km mark, he made his move, breaking away solo and holding his lead deep into the ride.
But the ride of the day – and arguably one of the greatest in Ironman World Championship history – belonged to Sam Laidlow.
After a career-worst swim, Laidlow mounted a furious comeback on the bike. While commentators speculated early on that his race might be over, that narrative quickly shifted as he charged through the field. At one point, he had moved up 13 places to take control of the chase pack. In the final kilometres of the ride, Laidlow caught Van Riel and even briefly took the lead.
Van Riel entered T2 first, with Laidlow just six seconds behind…and the Norwegian train of Blummenfelt, Iden, and Stornes roughly 20 seconds back.
While Casper Stornes had remained largely under the radar to this point, his ability to stay close to the front was quietly setting him up for the race of his life.
Run: Five-Athlete Showdown and a Rookie’s Stunning Win
What unfolded on the Promenade des Anglais in the early kilometres of the run may go down as the most thrilling start to a World Championship marathon in Ironman history.
Out of T2, Sam Laidlow and Marten Van Riel led the charge, but the chasers were not far behind. Within minutes, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden bridged the gap, forming a lead pack of four. Then, quietly but unmistakably, Casper Stornes joined them, creating a five-man group that sent triathlon fans into a frenzy.
Together, this group boasted three Ironman World Champions (Blummenfelt, Iden, Laidlow), a three-time Olympian and reigning T100 World Champion (Van Riel), and, well…the “other Norwegian,” Stornes.
Only Stornes was about to make a much bigger name for himself.
The group ran shoulder to shoulder in the opening kilometres, trading positions, testing one another, and daring someone to break. The tension was palpable, and it felt like any one of them could win.
Eventually, Blummenfelt and Iden edged slightly ahead as Van Riel and Laidlow began to fade. Although Stornes was temporarily dropped, he showed remarkable resilience and fought back to rejoin the leaders. With roughly 15km to go, he took the lead and never looked back.
Stornes’ final time of 7:51:39 was not only a new course record but also the fastest marathon ever run at a World Championship: 2:29:25.
“I didn’t believe [I had the win] until it was like 3km to go,” Stornes said at the finish. “Then, I knew.”
Behind him, Gustav Iden crossed the line in second, a result that carried immense emotional weight. After a difficult stretch of injuries and personal loss since his 2022 Kona title, Iden had quietly fought his way back to the sport’s top tier.
“I’m so so proud of Casper,” Iden said graciously at the finish line, congratulating his and Blummenfelt’s training partner. “To take the win is obviously something you dream of, and for him to come here and do it on his first try – it’s amazing.” Reflecting on his own race, Gustav added: “It was a super, super good race for me…my run was incredible…I’m super satisfied.”
Kristian Blummenfelt, who visibly cramped in the closing kilometres, gritted his way to third, completing the first-ever all-Norwegian podium in Ironman World Championship history.
“It’s amazing: one, two, three,” Blummenfelt said. “We’ve taken control of our training and made our training program ourselves…we were dreaming about taking the podium sweep before the race.”
Other Notable Performances
– Marten Van Riel finished fourth (8:02:18) after animating the race from the gun in his Ironman World Championship debut.
– Sam Laidlow finished fifth (8:03:55), two-and-a-half minutes faster than his 2023 win.
– Matthew Marquard crashed on the bike yet still managed to finish eighth.
– Magnus Ditlev unfortunately DNF’d after illness in the week leading up to the race.
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