Home debut must wait

Czech Republic instead of Salzburger Land for Leon

Leon Pauger from Vorarlberg should actually have been competing in his first Ironman 70.3 in Austria this Sunday in Zell am See. "I was already registered for it," reveals the 25-year-old, who has already gained experience in the middle distance in the USA and most recently in Poland. But now - for the time being - nothing will come of Leon's Austrian premiere.

 "Two weeks ago, I decided not to take part," explains the man from Bregenz. The background: one week after the competition in Salzburger Land, there is a World Cup race over the Olympic distance in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.

"After my last 70.3 in Gdansk, it took me almost ten days to recover," explains Pauger. "So it wouldn't make sense for me to compete in Zell am See and the Czech Republic." Especially as the World Cup is also more important in terms of his status as an army athlete than the one in Salzburg.

The winner of two European Cup races certainly has fond memories of Karlovy Vary, where his Salzburg training partner Lukas Pertl will also be competing: "In 2022, I achieved my best World Cup result to date with eleventh place." He also made it into the top 30 there last year with 23rd place, but that doesn't mean he's done with the Ironman 70.3. "Maybe I'll end up doing another race over this distance later this year."