Finn Große-Freese: From young talent to Ironman victory in 2025

24-year-old Finn Große-Freese from Rostock has achieved his first Ironman victory at the Ironman Austria 2025 in Klagenfurt, earning himself a place among the world’s triathlon elite. With an impressive time of 7:52:55 hours, he prevailed against strong competition and at the same time secured qualification for the Ironman World Championship in Nice.

A start-to-finish victory in extreme heat

Große-Freese put in an outstanding performance at the Ironman Austria 2025, which took place in temperatures of over 30 degrees. He completed the 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride and 42.2 km run in impressive style. He was just ahead after the swim, extended his lead to over six minutes on the bike course and defended it confidently in the final marathon(hdsports.org).

Leaving the competition behind – now Ironman victory for Finn Große-Freese

Behind Große-Freese, Austria’s Michael Weiss took second place with a time of 7:57:43 hours, followed by Norway’s Kristian Grue, who finished in 7:57:51 hours(hdsports.org). With this victory, Große-Freese not only secured first place, but also one of the coveted starting places for the Ironman World Championship in Nice.

The path to becoming a professional triathlete

Finn Große-Freese began his sporting career as a middle-distance runner at SC Neubrandenburg. In 2021, he came third in the Ironman 70.3 Westfriesland. In 2024, he became German champion in the middle-distance triathlon at the Ostseeman in Glücksburg(de.wikipedia.org). In October of the same year, he was the youngest participant to finish 29th at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Study and training in Bayreuth

In addition to his sporting career, Große-Freese studies law at the University of Bayreuth and lives there. He competes for the SV Bayreuth club and trains in the region(proseries.ironman.com).

Next stop: Ironman victory at Challenge Roth

Three weeks after his victory in Klagenfurt, Große-Freese is planning to take part in Challenge Roth, one of the most prestigious triathlon races in the world. Although the race was not originally on his season plan, he decided to take part at short notice in order to continue competing with the world’s best(tri-mag.de).

Better in the water – with the FlipSoc

Anyone like Finn Große-Freese who strives for top performance in triathlon knows that the journey often starts with small details – such as the first training session in a wetsuit. Especially for beginners, putting on the often tight-fitting wetsuit can be a real challenge.

The FlipSoc helps you to put on your wetsuit quickly, gently and without stress. The smart donning aid is gentle on the material, significantly reduces donning time and makes it easier to get into the water – whether you’re training or competing.

The FlipSoc makes the first step towards triathlon success much easier – perhaps even the first step on your own path à la Finn Große-Freese.

Conclusion

With his victory at Ironman Austria 2025, Finn Große-Freese has impressively proven that he is one of the rising stars in triathlon. His combination of talent, discipline and strategic skill makes him a serious contender at international level. The upcoming races, in particular the Challenge Roth and the World Championships in Nice, will show how far his path to the top can take him.

Image credit: Image by maurizio rossetti from Pixabay