﻿In an endurance sport like triathlon, we rarely see win margins of seconds or milliseconds.
The usual winners are those who beat their competitors by a margin of a few minutes. The
longer versions of this sport are extremely long and that is why it is rare to see finer margins
when it comes to victories. The margins of victory increase as a sport matures.
The way we think about margins differs depending on the sport we're watching.
A two-second lead in a 100-meter sprint is considered massive.
With all these things taken into consideration, we understand why we do not get photo finishes
in triathlons.However, this does not mean they were not present in our sport. It is not usual,
but triathlon at times has become as close, or rather closer, than a 100-meter sprint.
In this video, we will be talking about such races that went down right to the wire. The
greatness of these races was such that it also had a great impact on the overall health of the game.
Though the margins were the smallest, the impact of these races was the greatest.
Here's a look at three almost too-close-to-call finishes, as well as the long-term effects they
had on those involved and the sport. Welcome to Triathlon Global Insights,
the motivation channel for all triathletes. You may subscribe to
our channel and click the notification bell icon to stay updated on the latest news in
the triathlon world. We keep you updated on triathlon news, incredible races, training tips,
and information about pro athletes. So now let's get into the video.
Ironman New Zealand 1990
Pauli Kiuri (Finland) and Ken Glah (USA) The race between Kiuri and Glah was down to
the wire after running stride for stride in a psychological battle royale until the closing
miles of the race. With only metres to go, Kiuri diverted off course into the crowd,
leaving Glah looking like he had it all figured out as he cruised in solo. Meanwhile, with a 2:53
marathon split, Kiuri course-corrected poured in a fatal charge, and zipped by Glah with inches to
spare for the win. Kiuri said of that finish that he went insane. "I was furious because I thought
I had a chance to win but had made this stupid error," Kiuri remarked of the dramatic end.
The Finnish triathlete said that he shoved people out of the way and leaped over the barrier. “I
sprinted since Ken was about 15 metres ahead of me. Until I was almost alongside him, he had no
idea I was there. It was quite perplexing." Glah was a nice sport after the race,
embracing Kiuri and remarking that he had other opportunities throughout the
day to widen the gap with his competitor. The impact of the finish was not just limited
to the winner. It spread across to the sport of triathlon which went on to become more famous
and more fans were now invested in the game. Glah, who went on to win seven Ironman races
(including New Zealand in 1992 and 1993) and finish 14 times on the podium in his career,
said the 1990 race was the most memorable because of the international attention it received. "I
was a part of the sport's closest race in history, and it was amazing to be a part of it," he said.
"It got a lot of attention and helped promote the sport and myself."
Ironman Chattanooga 2015 Kirill Kotsegarov (Estonia) and
Matt Chrabot (USA) Matt Chrabot, an American pro, appeared
to have the race wrapped up at 20 kilometres. When he started to bonk, his two-minute advantage
vanished, and his pace dropped from 6:30 to 7:30 per mile. Stefan Schmid of Germany and Kirill
Kotsegarov of Estonia were able to catch him, and the three men battled shoulder to shoulder in the
final 100 metres. Chrabot and Kirill were both sprinting as they approached the arch marking
the finish line, Chrabot's arms flailing as he made one last dive for the tape, dropping
Schmid with a few strides to go. "Karill won by a lean in the end," Chrabot added. Talking about
this unbelievably close race the American athlete also said that on the watch the margin looked like
2 seconds, but it was even closer than that. Even though being in second place meant losing
$10,000 in prize money, Chrabot said he learned some key lessons about perseverance that day.
"All I know is that if you really want to win, you can persuade yourself to do
anything," he stated. "That includes forcing your legs to sprint after an eight-hour race."
London Olympics 2012 Nicola Spirig (Switzerland) and
Lisa Norden (Sweden) It took hours to find out who won this race,
which was settled by a hair's breadth, with Switzerland's Nicola Spirig crossing the finish
line slightly ahead of Sweden's Lisa Norden. Nicola Spirig and Lisa Norden competed in the
closest Olympic triathlon finish ever, with race officials having to examine finish line footage
frame by frame to determine the winner. In the end, Spirig literally nipped Norden by a hair.
"It was definitely the most focused I'd ever been," Norden said of her mental state during
the sprint. "There were so many people shouting for us that all I could think about was that small
line upfront and how fast I needed to get there." Spirig, for one, claims she trained for a sprint
finish in the lead-up to the Olympics and used the jumbotron location past
the finish line to spot Norden sneaking up on her during the race, which is how she knew to
hit the afterburners at the perfect moment. For an Olympian, winning a gold medal is the
pinnacle goal, but Norden claimed she wasn't dissatisfied with her silver.
"I was overjoyed to receive a medal. "It was a wonderful day and a dream come true,"
she expressed her delight. Spirig, who finished second in Rio four years later and is scheduled
to attempt to break the 8-hour barrier in the Phoenix Sub 8 Project in June, remarked
on the enduring impression the split-second victory left on the numerous people who saw it
happen live and will watch it in replays for years to come. She added, "There was a lot
of emotion on their side as well. And it made me understand how much I do also influences others."
That ends our video for today! We do hope that you liked the video and if you did you
must hit the subscribe button. Thank you for watching and staying with me up to the end! We
at Triathlon Global insights, keep you updated on triathlon news, incredible races, training tips,
and information about pro athletes. You may like, subscribe, and press
the notification bell so that you'll be updated on my next upload! Adios!