Trail: the “ultra-terrestrial” Kilian Jornet smashes the UTMB record

The ultra-trailer, Spaniard Kilian Jornet, winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc on Saturday in Saint-Grevais, France.

JEFF PACHOUD AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

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Chamonix (France) (AFP) – Spanish ultra-trail star Kilian Jornet wrote a new page in his legend on Saturday by winning the fourth Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) of his career, signing a new record time, below the symbolic twenty hour mark. 

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It has been eleven years since the slender Catalan, 34 years old on the clock, had not won the queen of mountain running races, 171 km long and 10,000 meters high in elevation gain.

He also ran it in 2018, but was forced to retire following a wasp sting, to which he is allergic.

Jornet already had two victories to his credit this year in Zegama (Spain) at the end of May then in the Hardrock 100 (100 miles, around 160 kilometres) in which he beat his great French rival François d'Haene and set an absolute record in the 'test.

The previous record time on the UTMB was set by his compatriot Pau Capell in 2019 and stood at 8:19 p.m. Jornet is around five minutes ahead of Frenchman Mathieu Blanchard, on whom he managed to dig away on the last twenty kilometers.

The native of the South of France, aged 35, was ranked third last year on the event.

The engineer by training has also been a celebrity on social networks since his participation in the reality show Koh-Lanta in 2019. Jornet also left no chance to his American rival Jim Walmsley, who appeared in difficulty from the start. morning Saturday.

As for third place on the podium, it could go to Briton Tom Evans.

Jornet equals the victory record on the event

However, the game did not appear to be won in advance for Jornet since his participation in the race had been questioned for a time this week following a positive test for Covid-19.

After two days of suspense, it had not been confirmed until Friday noon, just a few hours before the start.

"

(...),

," he said in a video.

Kilian Jornet was the big favorite for this event

, which he has already won in 2008, 2009 and 2011. With this new victory, the Catalan thus fulfills his bet to equal the quadruple record of Frenchman François d'Haene, absent this year on the UTMB.

A true living legend of his sport, this new record set on the UTMB is just one of many for Kilian Jornet, who had already set the record for climbing Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn in 2013. Catalan nicknamed "the ultra-terrestrial" for his extraordinary performances in the mountains, is also the record holder for the ascent and descent of Aconcagua (6,962 m) in the Andes in 12:49 in 2014. He also claims the record for climbing Everest without oxygen from the Rongbuk monastery located at an altitude of 5,100 m.

Jornet had then reached the roof of the world in 26 hours on May 20, 2017.

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