The Ironman 70.3 Tallinn ended in dramatic fashion, with Estonia’s Henry Räppo edging out Great Britain’s James Teagle by just three seconds at the finish line. The race turned into a true thriller, ultimately won by the home favorite Räppo.
Early in the race, it wasn’t immediately clear that Räppo and Teagle would be the ones fighting for victory. Out of the water, it was Germany’s Hannes Butters who took the initiative, with only Ollie Turner able to keep pace. Florian Angert followed in third (+1:03), while Räppo exited the swim in fourth, 1:15 down. Teagle started the bike in seventh, carrying an additional 15-second deficit.
On the bike, Butters pushed hard, creating significant gaps. By the time the race returned to T2, Angert was nearly three minutes behind, accompanied by Räppo, Teagle, Turner, Germany’s Nils Lorenz, and France’s Antony Costes.
The run quickly reshuffled the field. It became apparent that Butters had spent too much energy on the bike and couldn’t match the blistering run pace of Räppo and Teagle. The pair stayed within seconds of each other for nearly the entire half marathon, setting up a thrilling sprint finish.
In the final meters, Räppo surged ahead to take the win in 3:40:06. Teagle crossed just behind in 3:40:09, while Angert secured the final podium spot in 3:42:33.
The women’s race was also won by a home-favorit: Kaidi Kivioja finished in 4:12:32. Dutch Diede Diederiks finished second in 4:14:39 and Justine Guerard from France finished third in 4:15:54.
