A Frenchman triumphs at Lake Kaltern

The 37th edition of the International Lake Kaltern Triathlon took place on Saturday – with 450 participants from 13 countries.

09 May 2026

From: pm

At the traditional South Tyrolean event, Frenchman Basile Boris Fouchard and Venetian Ilaria Zane triumphed, winning the Olympic triathlon format under brilliant sunshine.

Even in the first swim leg in the warm waters of the lake, the numerous elite athletes showed no mercy. After the 1500 meters, Fouchard led a large breakaway group that included Thomas Francesco Previtali, the Austrian Thomas Steger, Tommaso Cicchinelli, and defending champion Federico Murero. Murero, in particular, didn't hesitate and, with his title defense in mind, focused on a strong cycling performance. He took the lead but couldn't establish a decisive advantage.

Fouchard fights his way to a first victory

The final running leg proved decisive: The duo of Fouchard and Steger managed to distance themselves from Murero before the Frenchman secured the victory in the last 200 meters, summoning his last reserves of strength. For him, it was his first win in his first appearance – the first Frenchman ever to win in Kaltern, following in the footsteps of Mathilde Gautier (2017) and Anne Tabarant (2015) in the women's race. "I had an incredible amount of fun. It was my first time competing, and to win like this is fantastic. I got off to a good start, and it was a real battle right to the very end," explained Fouchard.

Basile Boris Fouchard celebrated a special premiere. © Ufficcio Newspower / Newspower.it

Second place went to Thomas Steger, who posted the fastest times in the cycling and running disciplines and celebrated his third podium finish in Kaltern. A satisfied Federico Murero finished behind him. Also noteworthy were the performances of Austrian Jakob Meier in fourth place and Thomas Francesco Previtali, who impressed with his swimming performance, finishing seventh.

Zane outshines the competition

Against the picturesque backdrop of the historic Leuchtenburg Castle, the women's race also offered top-class sport. From the very first strokes in the swim, it was clear that challenging Ilaria Zane would be a tough task. The Venetian immediately set a blistering pace and pulled away decisively from local favorite Lena Göller, who, along with Alice Riebler and Matilde Locatelli, formed the chasing pack. Zane's lead grew steadily, underlining her excellent form in all three disciplines. After a lightning-fast second transition, the Italian champion swam confidently to victory and also achieved the fastest overall time of the day.

“I love this race, I really like the course. There’s fantastic support all along the route. It’s a race that doesn’t give you a moment to breathe – and to win it again this year is incredible,” said Zane at the finish. Silver went to the talented Alice Riebler, ahead of Matilde Locatelli and the two local athletes Iris Reif, who made up a lot of ground after the swim with the fastest 40-kilometer bike split, and Lena Göller.

Keywords Triathlon Kaltern Lake Kaltern