Overview

• A severe thunderstorm over Hamburg forced organizers to delay the women’s professional swim from its scheduled 6:15 AM start to 7:00 AM.
• The 45-minute postponement also held up roughly 3,000 amateur triathletes on the 3.8-kilometer course in the Binnen- and Außenalster lakes.
• Officials cited lightning risk and heavy rain as safety concerns for the open-water start.
• The Ironman European Championship swim serves as a key preparatory milestone for athletes targeting the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October.
• Top contenders Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews were among those affected by the weather-induced rescheduling.