Kacper Stepniak Triumphs in Ironman 70.3 Krakow After Gripping Duel with Maximilian Sperl
Polish triathlete Kacper Stepniak delivered a thrilling hometown victory at Ironman 70.3 Krakow, edging out Germanyâs Maximilian Sperl in a race that remained on a knifeâs edge for nearly the entire day.
From start to finish, Stepniak and Sperl were locked in a fierce battle that captivated spectators. The day began with Germanyâs Magnus MĂ€nner leading out of the water in 24:52, followed closely by Stepniak just three seconds behind. Sperl wasnât far off either, hitting transition in third place with an 18-second deficit.
As the bike leg unfolded, MĂ€nner quickly dropped off the pace, leaving Stepniak and Sperl to set the tone at the front. It wasnât until the final stages of the ride that Stepniak managed to carve out a slight advantage, entering T2 with a 50-second lead over Sperl. Behind them, a large chase group trailed by nearly five minutes, effectively taking them out of contention for the win.
The run saw Sperl claw his way to within 20 seconds at one point, but Stepniak responded strongly, stretching the lead back to nearly a minute. With the finish line in sight and the Krakow crowd behind him, Stepniak surged once more to secure victory in a commanding 3:39:41. Sperl crossed the line in second at 3:41:15, while Azerbaijanâs (but racing for Ukraine, ed.) Rostyslav Pevtsov rounded out the podium in 3:43:20.
