"I have no idea what I did wrong" - Time penalties stop the Germans

Helplessness and pure frustration. Instead of pedaling at the legendary Ironman Hawaii, instead of getting a little closer to the podium or even the seventh victory of a German in a row, Florian Angert stops. Gets off his bike. A few kilometers later Patrick Lange, Hawaii Champion 2017 and 2018, too.

They were given five-minute time penalties to sit in a penalty tent at the edge of the track. You are not the only ones.

Angert, the 30-year-old former competitive swimmer, climbed out of the water after 3.86 kilometers in 48:15 minutes, almost at the same time as Sam Laidlow from France. Lange stayed in the second group, coming ashore 1:27 minutes behind. Anything was possible.

Shortly before kilometer 60, a referee showed Angert the blue card after an overtaking maneuver - equivalent to the five-minute forced break. He had passed a competitor, then cut into a large gap and then overtaken the next cyclist. A few kilometers later it caught Lange. Angert drove in the first chasing group, Lange was a good three minutes behind the leaders - a good starting position. Because his strength is the marathon.

And then that. Lange's coach Björn Geesmann fired his documents into the lava fields. The athletes were at a loss and frustrated.

The referees are cracking down this year. Co-favorite Laura Philipp also received a time penalty on Thursday, for which she still has no explanation. Slipstream ban disregarded - that will have been it. She can't understand it. Like Anger. And long. The distance must be twelve meters or six bike lengths.

"I have no idea what I did wrong," Angert tells a reporter from the organizer. "The gap was big enough to keep the distance." The rules also say about the overtaking maneuver: The athlete has 25 seconds to do so. Anyone who is overtaken may not counterattack immediately, but only when they are twelve meters behind.

At kilometer 168 the following picture emerges: Laidlow is five minutes ahead of the field, behind them the Scandinavians have positioned themselves. Angert follows 12:36 minutes, Lange 16:44 minutes. Now only a miracle run coupled with the collapse of the competition can help him.

Best German: Sebastian Kienle a good eight minutes behind.

After the dramatic fall at the Ironman World Championships in Utah, Andreas Dreitz had to worry about his career. The triathlon professional is all the more pleased to be able to take part in the Ironman in Hawaii again.

Source: WORLD / Melanie Haack