the essential
The Castres triathlete signed a major performance by winning the Iron Man in Nice on Sunday June 16. A result obtained in part thanks to a record time in the running section, and which is encouraging before the world final in October.
The Promenade des Anglais has never lived up to its name so poorly. Sunday June 16, it could have been renamed the Promenade du Français. Or Castres. Because Steven Galibert achieved an exceptional performance by winning the Iron Man of Nice, an XXL triathlon (3.8km of swimming, 180km of cycling and 42km of running). “I admit that I still have difficulty realizing it. This is the first time that I have won an Iron Man label race. And then, living in your little corner in Castres, we are not prepared to receive all these requests behind”, admits, impressed, Steven Galibert.
Messages, calls, the wave of congratulations was significant. If not because the Nice event is known and recognized, but also because the sporting performance of the Tarnais is as XXL as the distances he had to cover in the Alpes-Maritimes (final time in 8h40’14”) . After swimming for 55 minutes (55’46”), then pedaling for 5 hours (5h02’09), this lifeguard from the Castres-Mazamet urban community set a fantastic time in the race event. on foot, completing the marathon in 2h34’17”. The best time ever achieved by an amateur in the history of Iron Man, and which also places him among the 10 best of all time over the Iron Man distance, pros and amateurs combined.
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The running part notably allowed him to move up from 4e au 1is rank, putting six minutes in sight at 2e, the Briton Anthony Haynes (8h46’20”). “I had already recorded similar times during previous XXL triathlons. But what delights me the most is that I have progressed a lot on the bike. This is the first time that I have managed to finish in the top five in terms of timing in the cycling event”, relishes Steven Galibert.
Heading to Hawaii in October
Licensed to AS Monaco triathlon since September – a choice which allows him to benefit from better support for competitions – the Castres knows that he “will one day stop progressing”. But such performances, and his sensations – “I feel less tired today after coming out of swimming,” he confides – also open the door to new, and possible, significant results.
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And why not stand out next October, during the Iron Man world final, which will be held in Hawaii (October 26 in Kailua-Kona). “I was qualified in 2023, but since they finally organized the final in Nice, I had the possibility to postpone my qualification to 2024. It’s still more fun to go to Hawaii to participate in this race” , smiles the 32-year-old athlete.
A trip during which he will be accompanied by his family and his partner, just to share “beautiful memories” with his loved ones and to benefit from essential support given the difficulty of the Hawaiian demonstration. “The conditions will be humid and hot. It’s good on the one hand because, in Nice, it was hot. So that allowed me to get a taste of what awaits me”, positive the triathlete. If his performance on the Côte d’Azur could also be a taste of Hawaii, Steven Galibert would sign with both hands right now.
