Ha recentemente annunciato il suo ritiro, l’ultima stagione sarà il 2023, ma intanto Sebastian Kienle si è assicurato la possibilità di lottare per la vittoria al Mondiale Ironman (dopo la classifica il video annuncio del suo ritiro).
A Nelson Mandela Bay, nell’Ironman South Africa di domenica 21 novembre 2021 il campione tedesco si è infatti piazzato al secondo posto, cedendo la leadership della gara nei chilometri finali della maratona al suo connazionale Maurice Clavel.
In una gara molto tirata, che per le condizioni avverse dell’oceano ha visto gli atleti misurarsi in una frazione natatoria accorciata a 1.900 metri, Clavel ha vinto con due minuti su Kienle, con terzo lo svedese Rasmus Svenningsson, arrivato anch’egli a due minuti dalla seconda piazza.
In campo femminile, la britannica Ruth Astle è scappata via facendo il vuoto dopo nuoto e bici, ma a piedi ha subito la perentoria rimonta della sudafricana Annah Watkinson (unica a scendere sotto le 3 ore in maratona), che però non è riuscita a colmare l’intero gap e si è accontentata della seconda piazza, con terza, più staccata, l’altra locale Jade Nicole.
CLASSIFICA PRO
DONNE
1 Ruth Astle GBR 8:38:52 26:34/4:55:50 /3:11:55
2 Annah Watkinson RSA 8:40:44 28:10/5:08:21 /2:59:26
3 Jade Nicole RSA 8:47:31 26:40/5:09:23 /3:06:12
4 Natia van Heerden RSA 8:53:34 26:44/5:13:02/3:09:40
5 Imogen Simmonds SUI 8:58:33 23:22/5:03:41 /3:27:16
6 Katharina Grohmann GER 9:01:33 33:53/5:01:50 /3:21:14
7 Mariella Sawyer RSA 9:08:46
8 Magda Nieuwoudt RSA 10:03:01
UOMINI
1 Maurice Clavel GER 7:30:30 23:37/4:18:46/2:45:16
2 Sebastian Kienle GER 7:32:32 24:25/4:17:12/2:47:02
3 Rasmus Svenningsson SWE 7:34:35 24:30/4:16:42/2:48:30
4 Kyle Buckingham RSA 7:39:30 22:43/4:25:39 /2:47:32
5 Bradley Weiss RSA 7:44:49 22:50/4:28:40 /2:49:32
6 Antony Costes FRA 7:51:33 22:28/4:29:22 /2:55:30
7 Mats Petersen DEN 7:52:54 22:27/4:33:29/2:52:54
8 Dominik Soweija GER 7:55:57 25:17/4:34:03 /2:52:16
9 Marcus Herbst GER 8:00:32 23:06/4:27:28/ 3:06:01
10 Hendrik Goesch FIN 8:02:32 22:25/4:37:19 /2:58:30
“It’s not going to end this year. It’s not going to end next year… I’m going to do another two years in the sport and then… that’s it.”
“It feels kind of strange to actually announce this. Obviously in the last couple of weeks I thought a lot about it and talked to friends, family and sponsors. In the last two years I quite often had the feeling: fuck it, this is it, I’m going to retire after this session or just right now and not do anything again in this sport. Of course, you have stretches like this over such a long career, and you learn to ignore these voices, because there are other voices and those are telling you ‘it’s an absolutely great life, and you love what you do’. But in the last two years these thoughts have definitely been growing, and I have to admit that after I decided to drop out of Challenge Roth, I needed some sort of finish line. I’m not going to criticize any other athlete, but I always wanted to retire with a clear finish line, and this finish line will be at the end of 2023. Next year I’m going to try to win another World title on the long course, in either St. George or Kona. And 2023 is going to be a farewell world tour. I’m going to do a couple of races that I have never been able to do before.”
