Ironman athlete Magnus Ditlev has explained that he was given a red card “for disposing of an ice cup too late through an aid station” at the triathlon event in Frankfurt last week.
Ditlev, who is ranked number four in the world in the Professional Triathletes Organisation rankings and won the Ironman South Africa earlier this season, became one of the talking points of the race on 29 June after an official rode up to him and showed him a red card around 8km into the running portion.
The 27-year-old had moved into second in the event at that point behind Kristian Hogenhaug, and on the event broadcast he could be heard questioning the official, stating: “You can’t disqualify me.”
And Ditlev later took to Instagram to give his version of events, explaining that he “was quite taken aback by the whole situation”.
“What an eventful day yesterday… During the run segment I was given an immediate red card for disposing of an ice cup too late through an aid station. I was told I could still continue to run and that they would discuss the DQ [disqualification],” he said.
“At the time I was running well, in 2nd position, and feeling very strong.
“As people that watched the broadcast could see I was quite taken aback by the whole situation and didn’t really know what to do. I lost it mentally and started to fade later on.
“I was later informed that the DQ had been cancelled and today I’m happy that I at least got to finish the race and also witness some insane performances.”
The red card was later rescinded around 40 minutes after it was initially given, with the race playing out to its conclusion. Ditlev continued running but fell away and ended up finishing in eighth, with Kristian Blummenfelt eventually overtaking Hogenhaug to secure the win.
That win for Blummenfelt saw him move to first in the Ironman standings for the 2025 series, with Ditlev now down in eighth.
