SLOVENIAN NATIONAL DIES DURING IRONMAN 70.3 RACE

POREČ, OCTOBER 19 /SRNA/ – A 54-year-old Slovenian man died during the Plava Laguna Ironman 70.3 race in Poreč after falling ill during the swimming leg of the competition, Istrian police said.

Emergency services responded, but the competitor could not be saved yesterday. The duty medical examiner ordered an autopsy to establish the cause of death, police said.

A total of 2,200 competitors from 70 countries took part in this year's event. The race consisted of a 1.9-kilometer swim, a 90-kilometer bike ride and a 21-kilometer run.

This is not the first fatality at such demanding competitions. In 2024, a 50-year-old man from the United Kingdom died during the swimming leg of the Ironman 70.3 race in Poreč, Croatian media reported.

The Plava Laguna Ironman 70.3 Poreč is one of Croatia's largest and most prestigious sporting events and has been part of the global Ironman series calendar since 2022.

The "70.3" designation refers to the total race distance in miles, /113 kilometers/, placing it in the so-called "half-distance" category of the full Ironman triathlon.