Niklas Ludwig (20) is already looking forward to the World Cup in Finland. © Teichmann
Triathlete Niklas Ludwig tested his form for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships on the middle distance in Ingolstadt. But not everything went smoothly.
Freising – It was his first middle-distance race in which professionals competed with him. Accordingly, the Kirchdorf athlete Niklas Ludwig was looking forward to the triathlon in Ingolstadt. In addition to the two professional triathletes Finn Große-Freese (later winner) and Felix Hentschel (second place) – the latter was already third in the triathlon mecca of Roth – Ludwig's "permanent rival" Kilian Bauer also announced his start. The 20-year-old therefore spoke of a "reality check".
Newly added buoy overlooked
On the 1.9 kilometer swim, the endurance athlete, who competes for TSV Jahn Freising, was in second place. But then there was a problem – as in his most recent race in Gran Canaria – this time Ludwig overlooked a buoy that had been added compared to the original track and therefore fell back to sixth place – one minute behind Bauer.
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"On the bike, I just felt shitty and had to slow down," said the Kirchdorfer about the subsequent 81.2-kilometer second sub-discipline. Nevertheless, he tried to attack Kilian Bauer at kilometer 60, but he was able to keep at it. Nevertheless, the Jahn athlete set a new personal best on the bike distance with his time of 1:50:09 hours. According to Ludwig, the final half marathon was also "unambiguous" – the competition had run away from him. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with his running performance.
Ludwig's conclusion: "It was okay, solid."
And his conclusion on the entire competition and sixth place? "It was okay, solid." His full focus is on the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Lahti, Finland anyway – there are just under twelve weeks to go. But one thing is already clear: he won't have to look at Kilian Bauer at the highlight of his season. Because in Finland the start is separated by age group, Bauer competes in the 25- to 29-year-olds.
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