Lionel Sanders emotional as he presents “his side of the story” on Ironman 70.3 World Championship DQ

Canadian triathlon star Lionel Sanders has released a video explaining “his side of the story” around his disqualification at the  Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland. Sanders is understandably very emotional as he explains the first penalty he’s ever had in a triathlon competition.

In a video posted shortly after the race, Sanders offered some insights into the events around his penalty, and some of the questions that came up after that video (see our story below) are answered in today’s video.

Lionel Sanders explanation of his DQ leads to more questions than answers

While Sanders acknowledges that he crossed the centre of the road, he argues that the specifics of the rule weren’t ever made clear to athletes. Sanders also vehemently disagrees with the wording in the referee’s report, which he was given access to after the race, including that he committed “several violations” including reckless driving, [and intentionally seeking to take] advantage over other competitors using the opposite side of the road.”

“All I could think about was making the pass in the allotted time and not slotting in so I wouldn’t get a drafting call,” Sanders said. “I see no reason why the referee who made the call … would lie. Did I cross the centre line? Yes. Was there a centre line? No. Was I aware that I was supposed to draw a centre line and not cross it on a single lane European road? The answer is no, I was not aware of that. Whether that’s a rule or not, I was not aware of that.”

Too upset to recognize the card

“Admittedly, when I heard the whistle, I was so taken aback … that I didn’t see the card,” Sanders said. That is why he reported to the penalty tent, assuming that he’d been given a blue card, which would have been a five-minute penalty.

Sanders cites interactions with other athletes who he feels would have supported him in an appeal, including James Teagle.

“I was behind Lionel when he made the pass around another athlete on the narrow country road with no central line,” Teagle told Triathlon Magazine. “On that part of the course, the road was extremely narrow and the only way to overtake without using the draft was to go onto the opposite side of the road. I believe the official may have disqualified Lionel because even though he started the pass on a slight downhill and straight section, it ended up happening on a slight curve (even though I personally thought it was safe enough since I didn’t expect any vehicles to be coming from the other direction due to the road’s narrowness). If I were in Lionel’s position, I would have made the same move because the guy ahead was losing pace and it would have caused the group to separate.”

Sanders also said that he believed that his discussions with Ironman’s head referee, Jimmy Riccitello, constituted an appeal, which is not the case – he needed to go through an official process with Finland’s triathlon association.

Sanders concludes the video by saying that he wants to illicit positive change.

“If the centre line is a rule and you’re going to disqualify people, it needs to be conveyed very clearly to the athletes,” he said. “You as an athlete, I know you’re going to be angry when you get a penalty, but you have to be present. I went off into anger land and wasn’t present and that really hurt me. Had I been able to hear the referee say that (that he could have finished the race and appealed the call), then I could have finished the race and seen where I really stood, then protested and I really believe that I would have won the protest.”

“This is about learning and growing and improving,” he said. “I was in the wrong in places, and I was in the right in places … that’s human interaction. There’s going to be mistakes made and there’s going to be judgment calls … that’s life … I hope we can move on.”

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Ironman’s response

“We have listened to the comments made by professional triathlete Lionel Sanders, and while we do not agree with everything he has stated, we believe his comments have been made in good faith.

We respect the call made on race day by the independent technical officials assigned to the event.

We have taken Lionel’s comments and feedback onboard and are committed to communicating better with our professionals around race rules and their interpretations in the interest of safety and fair play.”