Daniela Ryf leads start to finish to win Ironman Austria

Cam Mitchell July 8, 2019

On July 7th, Daniela Ryf took a commanding win at Ironman Austria. The four-time Ironman world champion exited the swim course with a sizeable lead on her pursuers and then extended her lead to over 26 minutes on the bike. Austria’s Bianca Steurer would run a faster marathon – by 32 seconds – but Ryf’s lead was insurmountable. Steurer finished second and Heini Hartikainen of Finland finished third.

Daniela Ryf on the run. Photo: Daniel Clarke

In the men’s race, there was a great battle between Daniel Bækkegård and Lukasz Wojt. Wojt would lead for most of the race, but halfway through the marathon, Bækkegård took the lead and Wojt fell out of a podium finish. At the line, Bækkegård won Ironman Austria. He was followed by Stenn Goetstouwers and David Plese.