Published on June 21, 2026 at 09:01 pm
Belgian Martin van Riel (BEL) was at the top of the race from almost the start to the finish, his strong swimming contributing to a race record alongside Denmark’s Waldemar Solok. Together they carved a gap in the field and traveled all the way to T2 together before the Olympic medalist and T100 champion unleashed his trademark style to claim another win and secure his place in qualifying for Nice in his last chance to do so.
Matthews, on the other hand, had all the work to do on the run after a strong group of women swam and biked in front of her. But there was no stopping her once she put on her laceless shoes and got to work, eventually finishing just over 30 seconds ahead of Denmark’s Katrin Griesbøll Christensen (DEN).
It was a perfect sunny day with perfect temperatures for the showdown for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifying spots in the Danish coastal town of Elsinore – the last spots available for the men. Not only did these slots provide an opportunity to compete in the World Championship in Nice, but they also provided additional points on offer in the championship race – points that Pro Series hopefuls like Van Riel would likely need if they wanted to fight for the overall title.
The Elsinore course will challenge athletes in terms of weapons, being notoriously technical and “unlike anything else” on the Pro Series circuit, Fenella Langridge (GBR) explained pre-race, with twists and turns across the swim, bike and run requiring full concentration from start to finish.
“I hit the jet ski.”
That’s how the race began for the unbeaten Belgian, who explained after the race that he was on the wrong side A race volunteer accidentally put his jet ski in front of the athletes just before the shooting.
Fortunately, all was well for Van Riel and the athletes around him, and that did not stop his progress to the forefront of swimming. He was out with the likes of elite swimmers Jimmy Rydell (RSA) and Hans Paters (GER), where he needed to be.
That front group was outpacing other strong contenders in the field, including the returning Kyle Smith (NZL), and gave rising Dane Solok a chance to showcase his skills on the bike. Once the race hit the roads, only Van Riel was able to come along.
The 24-year-old Solok said he focused on this race as soon as he saw it on the calendar and was nervous preparing. But he channeled those nerves into pure speed, breaking the previous cycling record alongside Van Riel and starting the run more than two minutes ahead of the rest of the field.
Not only did this make it difficult for Van Riel on the bike – who said he was “cooked” by the end of it – but Solok also started running hard, challenging Van Riel through the first two miles. However, despite his best efforts, he was not strong enough to hold off Van Riel, who had a perfect line of 70.3 to go on.
Van Riel crossed the line first in a record time of 3:36:03, with Solok in second, just over a minute behind. Simon Vian (FRA) produced the fastest race of the day of 1:09:25 to come home in third place ahead of Riedel, who also secured his qualifying place in Nice after recovering from a leak suffered at 70.3 Aix-en-Provence. Vian will be one of the players to watch at home at the World Championships in Nice in September.
IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore Men’s Results 2026
On the women’s side, the technical swimming course similarly dismantled the race. A forward group of seven was initially formed with Matthews there, but she suddenly lost contact with the group after one of the swim buoys. From there, she settled on her feet in front of her and “did” the rest of the swim to enter T1 less than two minutes from the front.
Typically, Matthews will continue that ride to the front of the bike before running. But the strong bikers at the front, led by Dutch runner Lotte Willems (NED), made her day difficult. In fact, during the first 40 kilometers, they actually gained 15 seconds on it.
In the end, Matthews said she was “very disappointed” with her bike. That may be partly because she is now focusing on full-distance racing, and for the first time in her career, she is training specifically for that distance on the bike, which she shared with Tim Dunne after the race.
On the other end of the spectrum, Gryspol Christensen was driving. She overcame a four-minute deficit that was compounded by a 30-second penalty for not wearing her helmet before grabbing her bike, eventually cycling past Matthews and reaching the bridge ahead.
That left Matthews with 2:57 to catch, and seven women ahead of her. With strong runners like Christensen and Lena Meissner (GER) up front alongside several other athletes, despite Matthews’ pedigree, it begs the question: will she be able to catch them all?
It was starting to look like maybe she would. When one of the professional men came, Matthews said, “Okay, work, go.” I took off with him and started beating the competitors one by one.
In the end, it didn’t take long for her to control the entire field. After less than 10 kilometers of running, she moved on and hasn’t looked back. As she passed Grassbøl Christensen, she gestured appreciatively, saying: “Your riding, the cornering was so beautiful.”
From there, Matthews created the gap she needed and started celebrating a few kilometers before the finish. She crossed the line just over 30 seconds ahead of Græsbøll Christensen, remarkably just two weeks after her podium finish at Ironman Hamburg, while Meißner was third a minute later.
However, behind them, the battle was much more intense through the top ten. Positions went back and forth throughout the race, especially between Marta Sanchez (Spain), Audrey Merle (France), and Hanne de Wit (Belgium), who eventually finished 45 seconds apart from each other and just over a minute off the podium, with Merle taking fourth over Sanchez.
Next up for the winners, the season continues to heat up. Matthews heads to challenge Roth for the first time to take on the likes of Laura Phillip (GER) in what should be a showdown for the ages at the start of July. Meanwhile, Van Riel has a busy and important stretch ahead as he looks to challenge the Norwegians for the Pro Series title. First comes Lake Placid, then both winners will turn their attention to the 70.3 Worlds in Nice, before all eyes turn to the ultimate goal of Kona.
