Léo Bergère Takes Commanding Victory at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside

Why it matters: The Athletic Brewing Ironman 70.3 Oceanside triathlon kicked off the 2023 North American Ironman 70.3 schedule, with many of the triathlon’s best athletes in attendance. Reigning WTCS world champion Léo Bergère won the men’s race.

Setting the pace: Léo Bergère, the reigning World Triathlon Championship Series champion, won the men’s race at the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside in California, with Jason West coming second and defending champion Jackson Laundry finishing third. Bergère took the lead from the start, outperforming the others in the swim and holding on to his position despite a strong challenge from West.

What they are saying:

• “I came here looking for new challenges and for something out of my comfort zone,” said Bergère.
• "The bike was a very tough course, I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be", said West.

By the numbers:

• Bergère completed the race in 3:45:25.
• West was just 12 seconds behind Bergère, finishing with a time of 3:45:37.
• Jackson Laundry took third place with a time of 3:47:38.

Between transition: Bergère managed to hold on to his lead even after losing most of his advantage to Ben Kanute in the transition. On the other hand, Laundry had moved up 10 places to 12th by the start of the bike.

Through Time: Bergère won his second Ironman 70.3 title after winning in Lanzarote last March.

The bottom line: Reigning WTCS world champion Léo Bergère won the men’s race at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, making it two wins out of two from Ironman 70.3 starts.

Top five professional men’s results