Two men die in incidents during the swimming leg of Ironman triathlon held in Ireland

Two men have died while taking part in an Ironman triathlon competition in Ireland, Gardaí have confirmed.

The police force said the men were removed from the water by emergency services before being pronounced dead by medical personnel.

Both men, one aged in his 40s and the other in his 60s, died in incidents during the swimming leg of the triathlon held in Youghal, Co Cork.

In a Facebook post, Ironman Ireland said they were “deeply saddened” by the deaths of the two men.

The post stated: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of two race participants at the IRONMAN 70.3 Ireland, Cork 2023. During the swim portion of Sunday’s race, safety personnel provided immediate medical attention upon recognising the athletes were in need of assistance.

“We share our greatest sympathies with the families and friends of the athletes and will continue to offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time.”

Ironman Ireland added: “We thank the safety personnel and first responders who worked quickly to provide the athletes with medical assistance.”

Earlier this morning, the page announced the swim course for two of the events would be altered to deliver “the safest possible swim” for the athletes participating.

The post said: “Due to the current conditions of the water at the swim start, the swim course for both IRONMAN 70.3 Ireland, Cork and the full distance IRONMAN Ireland, Cork will now be 1.9km. This means that we can focus all of our swim safety crew on delivering the safest possible swim for all of our athletes.”

The news of the tragic deaths come after Storm Betty battered Ireland this week with heavy downpours and strong gales.

The Met Office issued wind and rain warnings for Northern Ireland from Friday (18 August) to Saturday morning (19 August).

In south Belfast, a number of roads and surrounding areas were flooded with police advising drivers to be cautious on the roads as high winds and rain made conditions difficult.

Betty is the second storm to hit the UK in August after Storm Antoni occurred earlier this month.