Ironman Bernhard triumphs in record time
Olivier Bernhard of Switzerland has won the Ironman triathlon for the second time in three years.
Bernhard, aged 32, finished the triathlon in Zurich (3.8 kilometres swimming, 180kms cycling and a 42km marathon) in a record time of eight hours, 12 minutes and 37 seconds.
He beat the Hungarian Peter Kropko, who won last year’s race, by 8.38 minutes.
Bernhard laid the groundwork for his victory with a better than expected performance in his weakest discipline – the swimming section – finishing only two minutes behind Kropko.
Bernhard stormed back on the cycling section, which was run at 750 metres, rather than 1,700 metres elevation. And he extended his lead on the marathon, finishing that section in 2:43:30.
He has won a series of such races in the past seven years. He has recorded five Powerman titles, three Ironman titles and seven Swiss titles in that time.
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