Jamie Riddle backs Mikal Iden to unlock potential

Professional triathlete Jamie Riddle believes the appointment of renowned coach Mikal Iden could provide the spark he needs to keep his Ironman World Championship ambitions alive after a difficult start to the season.

The Gqeberha-born athlete recently announced that he would be teaming up with the Norwegian coach as he seeks qualification for both the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the Ironman World Championship later this year.

Iden boasts an impressive coaching CV.

A former junior triathlete himself, he transitioned into coaching in 2013 and has worked with some of the sport’s biggest names, including his younger brother, Ironman world champion and two-time Ironman 70.3 world champion Gustav Iden, Canadian star Lionel Sanders and American Rudy von Berg.

He has also been involved in the Norwegian high-performance programme that helped produce athletes such as Olympic gold medallist and former IM full and half distance world champion Kristian Blummenfelt.

Riddle said it did not take long for him to realise Iden was the right fit.

“I guess I had pretty much all the coaches to pick from, but it only really took one meeting with Mikal to be like, ‘Yeah, I want to work with him’,” Riddle said in a video posted to his YouTube channel.

“There wasn’t anything in particular that sold me. He’s very quiet on social media.

“He’s not someone who’s trying to sell his coaching.

“It just seems like he values hard work and just shutting up and doing the job, and I think that’s maybe a component that, if I look retrospectively, I have been missing,” Riddle said.

The appointment marks the end of Riddle’s brief self-coaching experiment, which followed his decision to part ways with long-time Swiss coach Nico Montavon earlier this year.

Montavon had coached Riddle for eight years and played a significant role in his development from a promising junior into one of SA’s leading professional triathletes.

Reflecting on the decision to go it alone, Riddle said he had no regrets about taking the risk.

“He’s really shaped me into the person I am today. He is the reason I now have the platform to be self-coached.

“I’m confident enough to take risks. I’ve done that my whole career.

“I feel like to be great at anything, to really excel, you need to take some risks.”

After finishing in the top 10 at both world championship events in 2025, Riddle entered this season with high expectations.

However, things have not gone according to plan.

He finished 21st at Ironman SA in Gqeberha before failing to complete Ironman 70.3 Pays d’Aix in France after suffering a fall during the run.

Those results have left him with work to do if he is to secure places at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in France in September and the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in October.

Riddle is expected to target Ironman 70.3 Elsinore in Denmark and Ironman Frankfurt later this month as he attempts to book his place on triathlon’s biggest stages.