Warsaw thrives on sports. Virtually every day, we have a running event, local competition, or other sports activities in the city. To stand out and be noticed, you have to be exceptional. And that's what IRONMAN is. It's something that promotes our city worldwide.
Marcin Kraszewski, Director of the Sports and Recreation Office of the City of Warsaw
It's hard to disagree with this statement. Among the 1,500 participants in the main IRONMAN 70.3 competition, nearly two-thirds are international athletes coming to the capital from almost 70 different countries. The participation of the world triathlon star, three-time world champion Gustav Iden from Norway, ensures that the triathlon world's eyes will be on Warsaw this weekend.
Gustav Iden's participation in Poland is a big event. It's another big name appearing at an IRONMAN Poland series event. However, the strength of Polish triathlon is also growing, and it is by no means certain that the Norwegian will be the fastest on Sunday.
Michał Drelich, Director of IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw
Among the most formidable competitors of the Norwegian star is Kacper Stępniak, who will be defending his title from last year in Warsaw.
I hope to repeat last year's result. I want to ride the bike hard and hope to maintain a good pace on the running stage. However, the field of this race is very strong, so there's no point in putting too much pressure on myself. Many eyes will be on Gustav Iden, who, after a weaker last season, will surely come here to give his all.
Kacper Stępniak
Stępniak is one of three Poles who have qualified for this year's IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii. The others are Robert Wilkowiecki and Tomasz Szala, who will also compete in Warsaw.
In the first part of the season, I trained for the full IRONMAN distance. In recent weeks, we've been working on speeding me up a bit. The IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw course is very fast, and speed will be useful. I hope this work pays off during the race.
Tomasz Szala
Among the women, the favorite seems to be the Swedish athlete Sara Svensk, but Polish fans are surely counting on a strong performance from Marta Łagownik.
At the start of the Warsaw event, there will also be athletes who perfectly embody the global IRONMAN slogan - "Anything Is Possible." One such ambitious individual is Sylwester Wilk, known from shows like "Dancing with the Stars" and "Ninja Warrior Poland," who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.
Two years ago, I was in a slump and needed a goal that would completely consume me. I chose triathlon. I was looking for the best result in history in my disability category. It's hard to find official records since no one keeps such tables. However, it seems that the record is around 5 hours and 30 minutes. My goal is to complete IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw in under 5 hours.
Sylwester Wilk
In the Olympic distance triathlon relay, Wojtek Makowski, a silver medalist at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in swimming, will compete along with his assistant Paula Certa. They will represent one of the 32 relay teams of Citi Handlowy. The goal of their participation is to enable children and youth with disabilities to experience the joy and passion that comes from engaging in sports.
For years, together with the Polish Paralympic Committee, we have been working towards a more integrated and open society, changing the perception of disabilities. We hope that our efforts on the race course will help many young people discover the joy and passion that sports can bring.
Olek Łakomski, Director of Financial Markets Sales at Citi Handlowy, triathlete, and member of the Citi Handlowy team
The IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw weekend kicks off on Friday, June 7. The first excitement awaits us at 11 PM, when the Night Run Warsaw, a 5 km night run starting from the Multimedia Fountain Park and leading through the streets of the Old and New Town, begins. On Saturday, children will compete in the Pho3nix IRONKIDS Warsaw and swimmers will participate in the first edition of the Swim Series Poland by AQUA SPEED. The main events, the IRONMAN 70.3 and 5150 Triathlon Series races, will take place on Sunday, June 9.
