"Not winning that second Kona title will always hurt alot"

After almost three decades in the sport, long-distance pro Sebastian Kienle is now enjoying his swansong season. Here he tells us his racing regrets, his hopes for his beloved sport's future and why he might take up carpentry...

- By Liz Barrett

Sebastian Kienle is a man in demand. When we reach out to set up this interview, his management – 11-time ironman winner Ronnie Schildknecht, no less – asks us to email our questions so that “Sebi can answer them via voicemail”.

It’s not ideal for putting together a cover feature, but, really, who are we to argue with a triathlete who’s both respected and feared in equal measure? A man who’s been competing in triathlon since the age of 12. An überbiker whose performance at the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championship is considered one of the greatest race-day wins in triathlon history. Who would go on to win the Ironman world title two years later in similar fashion and finish on the Kona podium four times in total.

So yes, we’ll cut Kienle some much-deserved slack as he continues on his farewell tour. A tour which started at Challenge Wanaka Half in February (3rd), moved onto Ironman New Zealand in March (4th) and will take in Challenge Roth in June (his first-ever and now his last long-distance race), Norseman in August and the brand new Challenge Samarkand (Uzbekistan) in September, before the 38-year-old father of one finally calls time on his illustrious career.

Notably, the two-time 70.3 world champion has already said goodbye to Kona, having raced his last event there as a pro in 2022. His ninth appearance on the Big Island saw him place sixth in under 8hrs. As Kienle told us after that iconic race, “It was a really good race for me but it shows how deep the field is and the huge talent that is coming up. It’s time to hand over to the next generation.”