IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside: Pro stars DISQUALIFIED for SPEEDING in post-race carnage
If you thought the drama ended once the pros crossed the finish line at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside on Saturday, then you’d be wrong, as two top names were subsequently disqualified after coming home in second and sixth respectively in California.
Emma Pallant-Browne, who crossed the line in second behind Taylor Knibb, and Braden Currie, who finished in sixth in the men’s race behind winner Lionel Sanders, were both removed from the results and handed a DSQ.
Whilst both are likely to appeal the decision, this isn’t the first time a high-profile name has been penalised in such a manner in Oceanside, with the infringement reported to have taken place on the army base at Camp Pendleton.
Rollercoaster for EPB
For EPB, the decision to disqualify her for “excessive speeding in a controlled area” will sting, after the Brit fought back from a bike crash in training to make the start line this weekend.
Having not finished at her first race of the season at the Miami T100, the former IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship podium finisher raced exceptionally in Oceanside, with a trademark run taking her past Paula Findlay in the latter stages of the race.
Behind the dominant Knibb, EPB came out on top in the battle of the best of the rest and it wasn’t until she had crossed the finish line that news of her disqualification began to filter through.
In the women’s race previously, Swiss star Daniela Ryf found herself on the receiving end of the same punishment in 2022, after she surpassed the speed limit in the controlled zone on the army base.
Bad luck continues for Currie
For Currie meanwhile, the disqualification comes right after the Kiwi appeared to have rediscovered his racing groove following a series of setbacks since the start of the season.
At his first race of the year in Tasmania, the New Zealander was forced to withdraw during the race, before then falling sick in the week leading up to IRONMAN New Zealand and having to call it quits there too.
Sixth across the line, Currie was right in the mix for the minor places and put together a solid performance in Oceanside, as he tracked down the stragglers from the front group off the bike and ran his way into the Top 10.
Competing in the IRONMAN Pro Series this season, the DSQ will be a blow for one of the competition’s main contenders. In years gone by, whilst no male pros have been caught out by the restricted area, F1 world champion Jenson Button was famously served the same DSQ for speeding.
