Kiwi sixth in hot ironman

Terenzo Bozzone finished sixth at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. The Kiwi clocked 8h 13m 06s, more than 11 minutes behind winner Germany's Patrick Lange, who won in a course record of 8h 01m 40s.

Another Kiwi, Braden Currie, was 29th, 48 minutes down on Lange. Currie was second on the bike, but two punctures saw him lose time, dropping to 39th and ending his chances.

Bozzone's finish was the best by a New Zealander since 2008, when Cameron Brown finished fifth.

Brown was the only Kiwi male to make the podium, achieving four topthree finishes, with Erin Baker the only Kiwi to have won the world championship, in 1987 and 1990.

Canadian Lionel Sanders was 2m 27s behind Lange in second, followed by Briton David McNamee.

Former Australian Olympic rower and professional cyclist Cameron Wurf set a bike course record but wilted in the 30C Big Island heat to finish 17th. Wurf’s bike time of 4h 12m 54s was more than five minutes faster than Normann Stadler’s 2006 record.

He entered the transition for the 42.2km marathon run 54s ahead of Sanders, who was reeled in by the charging Lange with only 5km of the race to go.

Swiss star Daniela Ryf claimed her third straight women’s title. Great Britain’s Lucy Charles was second and Heather Jackson (US) third.