Yvan Jarrige

Yvan Jarrige has certainly been living up to his motto to “be better every year” since making his IRONMAN 70.3 debut in Luxembourg in 2017.

The same year the Frenchman notched his first podium finish over the distance when he came third in the Edinburgh event. Twelve months later, he underlined why the Scottish race is his favourite by winning it.

Then, in 2019, he followed two further podium finishes (second place at Florianopolis in Brazil and third at the Gulf Coast event in Florida) with a victory in Rio de Janeiro.

Although Yvan is keen on “a lot of sports, from endurance to Formula 1 motor racing”, he was always going to be a triathlete. Both of his parents were keen competitors before him. “So, it came naturally,” he says.

Yvan has since avidly followed the fortunes of a trio of current stars: Terenzo Bozzone, New Zealand’s 2008 70.3 World Champion; double 70.3 European Champion Rudy von Berg of the USA and Australian 70.3 star Sam Appleton.

“They’re not specially my heroes, but I like the style of their racing,” says Jarrige.

He now trains with several of his compatriots, whose identity depends on where the camp is. Font Romeu, in the south of France, is his favourite location.

Yvan also has no doubt about which of the three disciplines he likes most in triathlon. “The bike,” he replied. “You can go really far in training!”

“Go easy” is his mantra in training, with Injuries being his greatest fear - “because you can’t do what you love”. That mantra, he hopes, will keep him in the sport for another five or 10 years.