This is where the Ironman accident happened: A motorcycle collided with a cyclist at the Gaueter pond – traces of the fatal accident are still on the ground. © Georg Wendt/dpa/picture alliance
The Ironman in Hamburg was overshadowed by a fatal accident on Sunday morning. A motorcycle collided head-on with a cyclist during the race. The news ticker.
- Athletes criticize the organizer after the incident: The track was very narrow at the scene of the accident.
- More and more details about the Ironman accident are becoming known: There were concerns in advance.
- Fatal accident at Ironman Hamburg: During the race, a serious accident occurred on the track.
- This news ticker about the terrible accident at the Ironman Hamburg is updated regularly.
Update from June 4, 20:28 p.m.: Between ten and 15 motorcycles are said to have been at the front of the field at the time of the incident. In addition to Jan Frodeno, the best-placed German, more and more athletes are now expressing criticism of the planning of the event.
"Unfortunately, the bike course was very crowded. Therefore, it was foreseeable that there could be accidents," says professional participant Timo Schaffeld of Bild, "there were very, very many athletes especially on the second lap, with all the age groupers and the professionals who had to overtake in the second row. Sometimes there was no other way, even in the third row. Very, very many media motorcycles, few referee motorcycles."
The athletes would always have had oncoming traffic on the turning point route. In addition to the many cyclists, there were also the camera and escort motorcycles. Too tight. It might have been better to choose a large round without a turning point, says Schaffeld.
Now an investigation is apparently coming to the organizer. Hamburg's sports city councillor Christoph Holstein writes on Instagram: "Of course, it must now be investigated whether the general conditions of the event contributed in any way to the cause of the accident." He was "shocked" and "deeply affected," it is also said.
Update from June 4, 18:25 p.m.: The deceased motorcyclist probably suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe internal bleeding, as reported by Bild. Three emergency doctors had tried to save his life. A rescue helicopter of the Federal Police was also requested, but the machine "Christoph 29" came too late.
Fatal accident at Ironman in Hamburg: motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident
Update from June 4, 15:44 p.m.: The sporting result at the Ironman in Hamburg is overshadowed by a tragic incident. A motorcycle collided head-on with an athlete on the bike course. The 70-year-old motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident, according to police. The 26-year-old amateur athlete was taken to hospital with serious injuries. A cameraman, who was traveling on the motorcycle as a passenger, suffered a shock and was slightly injured.
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The race continued despite the death. The ARD decided to cancel the broadcast of the Ironman European Championships. The European Championship gold went to Denis Chevrot. Olympic champion Jan Frodeno finished fourth.
"It was unbelievably close, a complete farce" – Olympic champion Jan Frondeno only learns of the motorcyclist's death after the race
"It was incredibly tight, a complete farce. I was right next door and saw the bike shatter into what felt like a thousand pieces. I know that this always has to be covered by the media, but athlete safety has to take precedence," said the 41-year-old. He only learned at the finish that the motorcyclist had not survived. During the race, some media reports said that Frodeno would abandon the race.
The official award ceremony was subdued. The European Championship party planned for the evening has been cancelled.
Hamburg police give details of Ironman accident: motorcyclist (70) crashes head-on into cyclists and dies
Update from June 4, 13:57 p.m.: A motorcyclist was killed at the Ironman Hamburg on Sunday morning. The 70-year-old died at the scene of the accident, according to the Hamburg police. In the accident during the cycling race, a triathlete (26) was also seriously injured and taken to hospital. The cameraman (50), who was a passenger on the motorcycle, suffered a shock and was also transported to a clinic.
According to the initial findings of the police, "there was a head-on collision between the escort motorcycle and an oncoming racing cyclist". It goes on to say: "No further information is yet available on the cause of the accident." The investigation was ongoing.
The police also confirmed that athletes had to dismount in front of the accident site and pass it over the dike. A closure of the race track in the area of the accident site was "unavoidable". The Crisis Intervention Team (KIT) of the German Red Cross has taken over the psychosocial acute care of eyewitnesses and first responders.
Safety concerns had apparently already existed before the race in some places of the narrow bike course, reports the NDR. In the ARD live broadcast, former Ironman World Champion Sebastian Kienle had said as a co-commentator: "There are far too many motorcycles on the road."
The serious accident occurred on a straight line parallel to the dike. Around 8:40 a.m., an escort motorcycle collided with a racing cyclist. The first athletes started at 6.15 a.m. in the morning.
Two ARD commentators and a reporter apparently did not notice anything about the terrible accident on the track. As Merkur.de reports, they joked about the athletes who had to dismount and push their bikes over the dike.
Ironman accident: Motorcyclist crashes into athlete and dies – police talk about the course of the accident
Update from June 4, 12 noon: It is still unclear how the tragic incident at the Ironman Hamburg occurred. All traces and witness statements would have to be evaluated, said the responsible head of operations Curt Wenzel of the police in the ARD. On a straight stretch on the dike road, an escort motorcycle with the driver and the cameraman as a passenger collided head-on with a cyclist. The motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident. The cyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The cameraman was also injured and responsive. However, the cameraman sat against the direction of travel and could not say anything about the accident, Wenzel said.
"The background to the motorcyclist, whether this was perhaps medically conditioned, is purely speculative," says Wenzel. Also, whether there may have been an evasive behavior, "because it is actually a straight track".
Update from June 4, 11:21 a.m.: The accident at the Ironman Hamburg occurred on the Gauert main dike in the Hamburg district of Spadenland. It is a straight stretch along the dike.
The rider of a support motorcycle collided head-on with a participant on the bike course at around 8.45 a.m. during a race. The head of operations of the police confirmed to the ARD "Sportschau" that the motorcyclist had died at the scene of the accident.
After the accident, the race was briefly abandoned. According to media reports, the narrow course in the Hanseatic capital, which led to "incomprehensible and curious scenes" after the tragic event at the race, is problematic (see initial report).
Fatal accident at Ironman in Hamburg: athletes swerve over dike
Only nine participants were able to continue the race regularly. Everyone else had to pause at the scene of the accident. Some athletes pushed their bikes over the dike and thus continued the race. This can also be seen in recordings.
Ironman participants have to carry their bikes over the dike at the scene of the accident. © Screenshot/ARD
On the second lap of the bike race, the riders again had to pass the accident site, which had not yet been cleared, reports Sportschau.de. All participants had to get off the bike before the accident site and push it over the dike and then get back on. For a number of cyclists, the route change was "completely surprising", it is said. They had not been informed at all.
Ironman Hamburg: Fatal accident overshadows mega-event
Update from June 4, 10:46 a.m.: A fatal accident shakes the European Triathlon Championships in Hamburg. An escort motorcycle collided with a cyclist. The motorcyclist has since died. The amateur athlete seriously injured. A cameraman, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, is also injured. The race will continue, according to Sportschau.de. The ARD live broadcast of the major event has ended.
Ironman in Hamburg: Motorcyclist crashes into participant and dies – ARD cancels transmission
Hamburg – A motorcyclist collided with a cyclist at 8:45 a.m. at the Hamburg Ironman. The motorcyclist was fatally injured. This was confirmed by the head of operations of the police of the ARD during the live broadcast. The cyclist was seriously injured by the impact.
Ironman in Hamburg: Motorcyclist crashes into participant and dies
As the Sportschau reports, the race was about to be abandoned. Nevertheless, the Ironman was not canceled. Instead, the drivers are said to have been guided past the accident site, which had not yet been cleared, 24hamburg.de also reported. As the Sportschau further reports, the drivers are said to have first dismounted from their driving edges and climbed up again after passing the scene of the accident. According to the report, many drivers were uninformed before passing the scene of the accident.
"Unbelievable and curious scenes. And that's at a European Championship. I've never seen that before," the Sportschau quotes triathlon expert Sebastian Kienle on ARD. At about 10:20 a.m., ARD also dropped out of reporting on the Ironman in Hamburg.