Kristian Hogenhaug

A relative late bloomer in triathlon terms, Kristian Hogenhaug has really burst onto the international stage in the last 12 months.

His best display to date came in 2019 as he stormed to victory in IRONMAN Hamburg and also claimed a superb second place in the ETU Long Distance European Championships in Almere.

It was one of Kristian’s teachers at a sporting school who helped Hogenhaug into triathlon - and away from computer games.

“My parents talked me into starting a sports school during my sabbatical year after college,” he said. “You can't imagine how many hours I spent on World of Warcraft during my college time.

“One of my teachers was into IRONMAN and was the coolest teacher to us students. That made me want to be like him, and that is how I started with triathlon.

"I pretty much stopped doing sport until I graduated from high school in 2010. I am a nerd by nature, so when I’m into something I give 100% - and during this time, it was gaming!”

Danish bike rider and 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis was an early inspiration for ‘The Hawk’, as well as 800-metre runner Wilson Kipketer, who won at the IAAF World Championships in 1995, 1997 and 1999.

Hogenhaug trains with Morten Brammer and Kristian Hindkjær, and if he had any advice to give to aspiring triathletes, it would be to “focus on yourself”.

Despite having no elite sporting background, Kristian has still managed to turn triathlon into a living despite being introduced to the sport at a relatively advanced age, and admits that is something he is most proud of.

Some of Kristian’s other loves include badminton, coffee and pizza, while his favourite training location is Lake Garda in Italy. As for the ideal holiday spot - it has to be Fjerritslev, a small city in northern Denmark.