Top World Championship result for the Ironman from South Tyrol

Christian Klotz is a true Ironman. The extreme athlete from Tscherms participated last weekend – as the only athlete from Italy – in the five-time Ironman World Championship in Colmar (France) and achieved a top result.

July 08, 2026

From: cst

A 19-kilometer swim, a 900-kilometer bike ride, and a 211-kilometer run: the five-time Ironman World Championship in Colmar was not for the faint of heart. This competition has been held for 40 years, and prior to this year's World Championship, only 94 people worldwide had completed such a race. Christian Klotz joined their ranks a few days ago.

The athlete from Tscherms not only completed the grueling race in under 100 hours, but also finished the so-called Quintuple World Championship race in an outstanding fourth place. "A dream has come true for me – and at 52 years old," Klotz said about the result. His disappointment at missing out on a medal was limited. The athlete from the Burgraviate had even been in second place for a considerable time. "Unfortunately, my knee didn't hold up until the end. I decided not to fight for the podium. Otherwise, finishing the race would have been in jeopardy," Klotz explained.

The World Championship race, officially called the "Bretzel Ultra Triathlon," in Colmar was marked by extreme heat. "It was a real battle against the heat. At times it was around 40 degrees Celsius," reports Klotz. Incidentally, the race was ultimately won by Belgian Kenneth Vanthuyne.

Keywords Extreme sports Christian Klotz Ultra Triathlon