Sam Laidlow had not yet turned 25 when, in the fall of 2023, he became the youngest Ironman World Champion in history. It shouldn't come as a big surprise that Sam could win the world championship in Nice. Following a phenomenal offensive performance in Hawaii the previous year, one would think that Laidlow had firmly established his candidacy for the World Championship. However, after sustaining a running injury in Roth, no one expected to see him at full strength in Nice just a few months later!

Beyond his athletic achievements, many have come to know the more flamboyant side of Sam Laidlow. As serious as he is about training and preparation, he is equally self-ironic and relaxed the rest of the time. When he visited FUSION at the end of 2023 for a "meet and greet," he kicked off with the following phrase (in Danish): "Hva så’ r@vhuller" ;-).

Sam Laidlow has been involved in triathlon since the age of 4 and was schooled in the French Grand Prix (short distance). After chasing the Olympic dream as a teenager on the French national team in Font-Romeu, Sam returned to his family at the age of 17. They agreed to go all-in on long distance, which better suited Laidlow's extreme endurance talent. Thus, he was only 18 years old when he took the first step onto the long-distance scene and won "The Bearman," the local iron-distance race in the Pyrenees organized by "Sancture Sportif." The following year, he made his debut in his first official Ironman (Barcelona) with a 7th place finish in a time of 8 hours and 5 minutes.