As the Ironman Championship approaches, the war of words between the top contenders is
heating up.
As usual, Joe Skipper, the British triathlete, minced no words while attacking Norwegian
Kristian Blummenfelt and his countryman, Gustav Iden.
He went on to state that he didn’t understand the craze around these two athletes, and that
he did not believe the current IRONMAN World Champion, Gustav Iden would make it into the
top pack of the race.
The Norwegians responded with words.
and the war is expected to continue verbally until these giants meet in Utah in May.
While Joe’s predictions may seem a little bold, his life story has been equally daring.
The man has risen from humble beginnings to a point where he can now openly challenge
the World and Olympic Champions, as well as the Ironman Champion.
His Twitter bio openly states that he is not an ‘average Joe.’
And we know he is anything but average.
His humble beginnings, his early mediocrity, his American dream, the many talents that
he displayed during the pandemic, and every essential detail of his professional career
will be discussed further in this video.
Who doesn't enjoy a good rags-to-riches story?
This is one of those stories.
So stay tuned.
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For those who are unfamiliar with him, Joe Skipper is an English triathlete who has been
competing since 2012.
Skipper, who was born in March 1988, struggled at first but recently has become one of the
best triathletes.
His top achievements at Ironman UK 2018, Ironman Florida 2019, Ironman New Zealand 2020, and
countless other podium finishes have placed him seventh in the world rankings.
These awards and recognition have not come easily for the 33-year-old Englishman, whose
entry into the sport was just a coincidence.
He had no intentions of participating in the triathlon and did it for the first time solely
for the thrill of the sport.
This challenge awakened his interest in the sport.
The Norwich-born athlete’s first shot at triathlon was in the late 2010s.
He was excellent on the bike, but his performances in the other two areas were quite unsatisfactory.
He was severely defeated in running and swimming.
The humiliation of losing may have been too much to handle for most people, but as Skipper
himself says, he is not an average Joe.
He accepted defeat graciously and decided to improve himself in both fields.
This is where the story of Joe Skipper begins.
He came for the adventure but stayed for the challenge.
He enjoyed the challenge and worked hard to improve his performance.
As a result of his hard work, a year later, Joe Skipper went on to win the amateur British
Middle Distance Champion.
His transition to professional triathlon is also fascinating.
His limited financial resources always put a strain on what he could accomplish.
To enter amateur races, Skipper had to pay money.
Lucy Gossage, a fellow Brit, advised him to turn pro so that he could race for free.
After making the jump to pro, Skipper had to implement further cost-cutting measures
to manage his limited finances.
He found the cheapest house near his training premises so that he could practice more and
save money on transportation because he didn't own a car.
His first full-distance race was also a complete surprise.
He misplaced his passport just before a planned competition in France, and by the time everything
was sorted out, it was either the IRONMAN Barcelona race at the end of 2012 or the season
was over.
His first full-distance race happened by luck, but his performance was all a result of his
hard work.
The Norwich-born triathlete finished fifth on his debut and absolutely loved the brutality
that a full distance triathlon had to offer.
The progress from there on was slow, but Joe’s financial condition did not allow him to slow
down.
He approached every race as if it was the final race of his career.
70.3 New Orleans, did not produce the results he had hoped for, leaving him with only one
option.
Either a strong performance at IRONMAN Texas or a visit to the job center upon his return.
His second-place finish in Texas, with the third-fastest bike leg in the history of the
iron race, saved his career.
He has now become the 6th fastest British Ironman athlete of all time!
From this point onwards, his career progressed.
He was now constantly wandering around the podium.
Skipper has proven he is more than just a contender after winning the ETU Long Distance
Triathlon Championship at Challenge Almere in 2017, winning IRONMAN UK in 2018, and winning
M-Dots in Florida (2019) and New Zealand (2020).
His achievements are reflected in his seventh-place ranking in the PTO World Rankings.
The lockdown brought with it a different set of challenges.
Skipper was also given the opportunity to try new things.
There were time trial competitions that were held in the UK, and they included these ultra
long-distance events.
Skipper put himself to the test in a 12-Hour Time Trial event.
Biking is his favorite sport, so it came as no surprise, when Skipper broke the Competition
Record, covering an incredible distance of 325.55 miles.
At the upcoming Ironman Championship in Utah in May, he is expected to be a name to watch
out for.
Apart from his skills on the course, Skipper is also quite good when it comes to press
conferences and interviews.
The ongoing war of words between him and the Norwegian duo proves how entertaining he can
be.
Despite his financial difficulties, Joe Skipper is among the top triathletes on the circuit.
This indicates how determination and hard work can lead to success, irrespective of
one’s financial condition.
Joe has put in a lot of effort to get to this position, and it doesn't seem like he is going
to stop now.
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