Two men have died after getting into difficulty during the swim at the Ironman event in Co Cork on Sunday morning. The deaths of the men occurred despite the swim leg having been shortened - from 3.8km to 1.7km - due to conditions in the water in Youghal, east Cork.
Before the event, a range of services had combined to ensure the course was clear for the competitors after the impact of Storm Betty, which forced the cancellation of cycling races on Saturday but has since dissipated. However, it was unclear if the conditions in the water on Sunday were a significant contributing factor in the deaths of the two men - in their 60s and 40s - who have sadly lost their lives.
One of the deceased is believed to be an Irishman who had been living in the UK for some time while the other man was from Canada and had traveled to Ireland for today's Ironman. The event was continuing on Sunday, with organisers issuing a statement confirming two competitors had very sadly died.
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"We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of two race participants at the Ironman 70.3 Ireland, Cork 2023," the statement from Ironman Ireland said. "During the swim portion of Sunday’s race, safety personnel provided immediate medical attention upon recognising the athletes were in need of assistance.
"We share our greatest sympathies with the families and friends of the athletes and will continue to offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time. We thank the safety personnel and first responders who worked quickly to provide the athletes with medical assistance."
Ironman Ireland had earlier issue a statement, before the event began, confirming the swim had been shortened, in response to the sea conditions, though the weather had improved significantly since Saturday.
"Due to the current conditions of the water at the swim start, the swim course for both Ironman 70.3 Ireland, Cork and the full distance Ironman Ireland, Cork will now be 1.9km," Ironman Ireland said in a statement just before 7am on Sunday. "This means that we can focus all of our swim safety crew on delivering the safest possible swim for all of our athletes."
