Ironman world champion Casper Stornes misses his title defense after a fall

Ironman world champion Casper Stornes from Norway will not be able to defend his title in Hawaii after a serious fall in training.

A little more than two weeks before the race on October 10th – this time again with men and women in the mecca of long-distance triathlon – the 29-year-old Norwegian explained on Instagram: “This is not an AI video of me being injured.”

He had his right arm in a splint, a larger plaster on his right shoulder and a bandage on his lower left leg. It was just unfortunate, but his front wheel was caught in a strong wind - "there's a storm coming here" -. Which is probably an understatement. In fact, the US Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for Hawaii. The cyclone “Nolo” is heading towards the archipelago and is expected to bring heavy rain. “No Kona for me this year,” Stornes reported to his fans.

It was disappointing, but he said he could have suffered even worse injuries. The star of the scene ends his video with an optimistic announcement: "One thing is certain. I will be healthier and stronger in 2027 and then tackle the race on the Big Island again."

Last year in Nice, Stornes secured the world title over 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running. After 7:51:36 hours he duped the previously predicted favorites. His compatriots Gustav Iden (+2:37 minutes) and Kristian Blummenfelt (+4:58), who were ranked higher, ended up in second place.