Sebastian Kienle Wins IM European Championships

The Pressures of a Pre-Race Favorite

Both media and the competition named Sebastian Kienle the number one favorite for the big showdown in the German city of Frankfurt. The 2014 edition's winner showed great form in the lead-up to the IM European Championships and made a confident impression. After finishing second behind Jan Frodeno last year, Kienle put even more pressure on himself to reclaim his 2014 title. 

A Manageable Gap After the Swim

The competition tried everything during the 3.8 kilometers in the Langener Waldsee to put as much time as possible in between them and the big favorite, Sebastian Kienle. After the first 1.5 kilometers, Kienle lost contact with the fastest group of swimmers. At the swim exit, the gap had increased to 4 minutes. A manageable deficit for Kienle who's known for his bike prowess. 

A New Reality on the Bike

Within the first 90 kilometers, Kienle closed the gap to the leaders and soon started to pull away from the group together with his German friend Andreas Böcherer and ever-strong Eneko Llanos from Spain. During the following stages of the bike split it became clear that the group of three would most likely stay together for the remaining distance. A new reality that has started to manifest itself last year- unlike in earlier years, Sebastian Kienle oftentimes finds himself controlled by his competitiors on the bike. A situation he is aware of: "From a tactical perspective, it doesn't get easier for me," Kienle stated after the race. "The other guys have understood that after a couple of attacks even I do calm myself. Consequently, I've to figure out new tactical options for future races and that's what I'm working on."

A Strong Message on the Run

On the marathon, Kienle showed what one of his tactics in progress could look like. He started the run at an unbelievable pace, completing the first 10 kilometers in a time of 37 minutes. A pace that proved way to fast for the usually strong runner Eneko Llanos who fell back immediately. Böcherer, however, kept the leader in sight and lost a mere 30 seconds during the first quarter of the marathon. While Kienle pushed on and crossed the half marathon mark in an incredible 1:18:00, he still felt the breath of Andreas Böcherer down his neck. On the second half of the marathon, Kienle was able to increase the gap to almost 2 minutes. In the closing stretch, however, he started to suffer and Böcherer closed the gap to under 1 minute. "The last couple of minutes, I felt like I had left this world," the eventual winner stated at the finish." In a time of 2 hours 44 minutes, Kienle ran the second fastest marathon of the day despite having clocked the fastest bike time of the day before. 

On to Repeat his 2014 Victories

After a successful spring and early summer campaign, Kienle will now take a well-deserved break from training and racing before starting his preparation for the big races in the second half of the season. The German is targeting the IM 70.3 World Championships in Moloolaba, Australia and the IM World Championships in Hawaii in October.