Kona Heartbreak and Valencia Records: A Weekend of Highs and Lows for On Athletes

Zurich, SWITZERLAND, October 28, 2024 - From the iconic island in Hawaii to the rainy streets of Valencia, this past weekend saw athletes achieve new PBs and top-ten performances and be reminded that anything can happen on race day. 

In Kona, Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), Gustav Iden (NOR), and Matt Hanson (USA) found themselves on the start line of the Ironman World Championships. The race offered record-breaking performances and an unfortunate finish for pre-race favorite Kristian Blummenfelt. 

Blummenfelt went into the race as a favorite following his victory in Frankfurt a couple of weeks ago. Despite a decent swim and leaving the water just behind the leaders, the bike proved to be the game-changer for the race. After 31 miles, Blummenfelt found himself just 1:58 minutes behind the two leaders, but a sequence of vomiting emptied him of any nutrition he had taken on board. Coming into T2, he was still ahead of eventual winner Patrick Lange but ran out of gas at the 10km mark. He finished in 08:29.58 in 35th place.

Matt Hanson found himself in Kona for the eighth time and posted his best result to date, finishing tenth in a time of 07:54.50. Hanson also posted the second fastest run split of the day, 02:45.25, with only Patrick Lange running a faster marathon than him. 

Fellow Norwegian Gustav Iden's race also went far from planned. He pulled out of the race before the running halfway point. The injury he had been struggling with all season also brought an early end to his Kona race. Despite Patrick Lange breaking the course record, Iden’s run record remains at 2:36:15.

New PBs in Rainy Valencia 

In Valencia, it was time for the half marathon on Sunday. Three On athletes were on the start with Laura Luengo (ESP), Tsigi Gebreselama (ETH) and Yohanes Chiappinelli (ITA). On the men’s side there was no stopping Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) who raced to a new world record in 57:30. Chiappinelli followed about three minutes later in 12th position in a time of 1:00.50 and a new PB. 

Tsigie Gebreselama crossed the line in fifth position in the women’s race, just 0.4 seconds shy of a new PB. In the race between the Spanish ladies, Laura Luengo saw her national record broken by Kaouta Boulaid in 1:08.47. Luengo also beat her previous record time, crossing the finish line just three seconds behind Boulaid in 1:08.50. 

Shelton's Silver Run in Basel

In Basel, just 80km north-west of On’s headquarters in Zurich, Ben Shelton (USA) reached his second tournament final of the year at the ATP500 Basel. En route to the final, Shelton took out T. Etcheverry (6:3, 6:4), S. Wawrinka (7:6, 7:5), number one seed A. Rublev (7:5, 6:7, 6:4), and A. Fils (6:3, 7:6). In the final, he faced newcomer Giovanni Mpetshi Perricarf of France. Both players had not dropped serve on their way to the final, but Perricarf broke Shelton early on in the match, setting the tone for the match. Despite some eyebrow-raising points, Shelton didn’t manage a single break in the match and, after 87 minutes, had to succumb to Perricarf 4:6, 6:7. Shelton now continues his season at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he will face C. Moutet in the round of 64.

About On

On was born in the Swiss Alps in 2010 with the mission to ignite the human spirit through movement – a mission that still guides the brand today. Fourteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, training, all-day activities and tennis. On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design and groundbreaking strides within the circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base – inspiring humans to explore, discover and Dream On.

On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.