Iden salutes ‘teacher’ Bu after historic Norwegian podium sweep

Gustav Iden paid tribute to “teacher” Olav Aleksander Bu after delivering a second-place finish in a historic Norwegian podium sweep at the Ironman World Championship in Nice.

The 28-year-old, who has largely struggled to perform since winning the title in Hawaii in 2022, is no longer coached by Bu, who now focuses on his role as head coach with pro-tour cycling team Uno-X Mobility Cycling.

But he credited the coaching mastermind for the development that led to all three Bergen-based countrymen, including winner Casper Stornes and third-place Kristian Blummenfelt, finishing under eight hours on the Côte d’Azur, and more importantly meaning they now all have an Ironman world title to their name.

“Olav has taught us so much, so even though we’re now doing it without Olav, it’s never going to be without Olav!” he said. “He is a teacher, but sometimes your head gets full, and you just have to do the simple stuff.”

That simple stuff not only meant race tactics delivered to perfection on the day, but also focused training from the start of the year with one prize firmly in mind.

“We’ve been training for this race since January, when we trained for five weeks on the course, and it’s been super specific since Ironman Frankfurt [in June].”

In a nod to how previous years have included other focuses such as T100 racing or trying to qualify for the Paris Olympics, he continued: “One of the main things we have done this year is make our lives easier.

“We’ve not made training easier per se, but we’ve done quite a lot of sessions where you don’t have to think too much – just really perform every day.

“We work our a***s off every single day, and to be able to pull it off is insane. I’m so proud of the team.”

Despite a 7:54:13 finish thanks to a 47:14 swim, a 4:30:17 second-fastest bike leg and a 2:32:15 third-best marathon, was his result tinged with any disappointment?

“It’s not the ultimate comeback I dreamed of but I’m still super pleased with how things turned out. To run 2:32 for my best ever marathon is pretty crazy.

“I was super afraid of Kristian’s kick towards the end so tried to hold a high average pace to tire him out a bit. The tactics were ok, but I don’t think any tactics would have beaten Casper today.”

Tim Heming Freelance triathlon journalist

About

Experienced sportswriter and journalist, Tim is a specialist in endurance sport and has been filing features for 220 for a decade. Since 2014 he has also written a monthly column tackling the divisive issues in swim, bike and run from doping to governance, Olympic selection to pro prize money and more. Over this time he has interviewed hundreds of paratriathletes and triathletes from those starting out in the sport with inspiring tales to share to multiple Olympic gold medal winners explaining how they achieved their success. As well as contributing to 220, Tim has written on triathlon for publications throughout the world, including The Times, The Telegraph and the tabloid press in the UK.