Magnus secures bronze at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice

Press Release from Magnus Ditlev - September 10, 2023

On a hot and challenging day in the South of France in Nice, 25-year-old Magnus Ditlev from Virum, Denmark, clinched 3rd, earning the bronze medal at the IRONMAN World Championship with an outstanding performance. Throughout the day, the Danish athlete consistently remained in the top ranks, holding the second position until approximately 10 km before the finish of the marathon. It was then that the former double world champion, Patrick Lange, with a marathon time of 2:32:41, overtook Ditlev in pursuit of the leader Sam Laidlow from France, who claimed a popular home victory.


This marks the best Danish result at the IRONMAN World Championship since 2007 when Torbjørn Sindballe secured the 3rd position at the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii.


"I am super proud and really happy to finish third at the IRONMAN World Championship because I didn't have a super good day out there, and it was probably the toughest triathlon day of my life. So, being able to finish third after fighting all the way makes me really proud. Unfortunately, there wasn't much energy left after the bike, and I had to dig deep and fight hard to keep Rudy von Berg behind me in the battle for the podium, so I am super happy to make it to the podium," said a exhausted but joyful and proud Magnus Ditlev at the finish line.

A scorching day with challenging cycling
As anticipated, the French hometown athletes took charge in the swim and the start of the 180 km mountainous bike course with nearly 2,500 meters of elevation gain. Especially Sam Laidlow, who finished second at the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii last year, made moves on the bike, where Danish Magnus Ditlev lingered in the top three, transitioning to the run in 3rd place.

Ditlev quickly caught up with American Rudy von Berg, who grew up in Nice, and was trailing Laidlow by 4-5 minutes after the first half marathon, without really reeling in the Frenchman. Instead, Ditlev settled into 2nd place until the sport's fastest marathon runner, Patrick Lange, passed him with about 10 km to go. Von Berg also pushed on for the last podium spot and had to close around 1.5 minutes over the last kilometers, but Ditlev maintained his pace despite the hot conditions and secured the bronze medal with 1 minute and 13 seconds ahead of the 4th place, Rudy von Berg.

Magnus Ditlev's splits:
  • 3.8 km swim: 49:14
  • 180 km cycling including 2,500 meters elevation gain: 4:35:54
  • 42.2 km run: 2:41:07
Total: 8 hours, 11 minutes, and 43 seconds.

Top 3:
  1. Gold: Sam Laidlow, France: 8:06:22
  2. Silver: Patrick Lange, Germany: 8:10:17
  3. Bronze: Magnus Ditlev, Denmark: 8:11:43