Recently, Javier Gomez of Spain shattered the course record at the 2019 IRONMAN Malaysia en route to victory, cementing his status as the greatest triathlete in history in the process.

A Course Record Victory

He crossed the finish line in 8 hours 18 minutes 58 seconds to eclipse the course record of 8 hours 32 minutes 54 seconds, set by Romain Guillaume in 2017.

Said Gomez, “It’s my first IRONMAN win. It was a tough race, it was sunny all the time and the temperatures were high.”

Finishing second had been Philipp Koutny of Switzerland in 8 hours 24 minutes 18 seconds and in third place to round off the podium’s trio of top athletes, was Thiago Vinhal of Brazil in 8 hours 31 minutes 15 seconds.

Said Gomez, “I had to give my best because Philipp did an amazing job on the bike. I had to catch him and take some risks at the beginning of the run. But luckily I could keep up and take the win.”

Gomez lives up to his fearsome reputation 

In the 26-man professional field, Gomez had been the marquee name and he lived up to his reputation right from the beginning, with a powerful swim, emerging from the water in 47 minutes 17 seconds.

The swim start had begun at the picturesque white sandy beach of Pantai Kok with a two-loop triangle out-and-back course.

Koutny takes the lead during the bike leg

And on the bike, Gomez put a 1 min 51 second gap between him and defending champion Daniil Sapunov after the completion of swim to bike, with Guillaume closing in.

At the 30km mark of the bike leg, though, Koutny emerged a contender along with Guillaume, to trail Gomez by two minutes.

At 75km on the bike, Koutny overtook Gomez for the lead. This was the first turning point of the race.

The bike, too, was a two-loop course, heading out of Pantai Kok onto a clockwise loop towards the rolling hills of Datai and the fringes of Kuah Town.

Gomez catches up during the marathon 

Then after a changeover through a unique air-conditioned transition at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre, the marathon course was a scenic 2.5 lap route finishing at the Cenang Beach.

And during the marathon, Gomez upped the ante, shaving off Koutny’s 5:30 advantage to just 25 seconds after 25km, and regained his lead through 33km, finishing in sensational fashion.

Said Gomez, “I set my pace and I kept my nutrition by eating and drinking. It was difficult because I was struggling on the last six or seven kilometres but I am happy to have crossed the finishing line. I raced well in the heat, which was important to me.”

Next up, Tokyo 2020 Olympics 

Now after taking a break to allow himself to rest and recover, Gomez aims to prepare for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. His win also earns him an automatic slot to the 2020 IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Tessa Kortekaas Wins Women’s Elite Race

And meanwhile, in the women’s elite race, the winner was Tessa Kortekaas of the Netherlands, finishing in 9 hours 43 minutes 20 seconds, in her first year as a professional.

Kortekaas, was surprised by her win, which she is still coming to terms to digest. She said, “It’s not easy, not many professionals will reach this goal in the first year. I cannot believe it. I have no words.”

She continued “I trained super hard for this. I had a great swim, the bike was good, but the last 50km was so hard and I was suffering. It’s going to take a long time before I believe that this has happened.”

Photo credit – Creative Clicks Photography