Triathlon: Marten Van Riel returned to victory in Brazil!

Returning to competition this year, after eleven months of treating an ankle injury following his fall in June 2022, in Leeds, Marten had not been on a podium since… August 2021, in Edmonton (second), in on the heels of his fourth place at the Tokyo Games. And it was on the Olympic “quarter”.

Over mid-distance (1.9 km swimming, 90 km cycling, 21 km walking), Van Riel had already obtained an excellent result by winning in Dubai. It was in March 2022, before his fall, when he also led the event from start to finish, finishing in 3h26.06.

Since then, Marten has experienced physical hardship with this ankle, which he feared for a moment would prevent him from returning to the highest level. Not to mention a fall while cycling this summer! The success of the Antwerp player in the Brazilian heat should boost his morale, especially as he plans to line up in early December, in Bahrain, before resuming his preparation for the Olympics.

Marten Van Riel returns after… 11 months of injury!

In Fortaleza, Marten Van Riel immediately took a good lead over his opponents in swimming, which he increased on the bike so that he was never threatened on foot. And that he was able to savor this superb victory, completing the event in 3h43.58, ahead of the Spaniard Antonio Benito, at 3’19, and the Brazilian Andre Lopes, at 6’33.

The icing on the cake: with this victory, he is qualified for the Half-Ironman World Cup, scheduled for mid-December 2024, in Taupo (New Zealand). But, first, the Paris Games, of course!