HOKA Signs European triathlon star Sam Laidlow.
HOKA has been the predominant racing shoe at the IRONMAN World Championships for years, and a perennial favorite of triathletes across the globe.
“As a young triathlete with my whole career ahead, I am only just getting started and my ambitions could not be bigger,” said HOKA Athlete Sam Laidlow. “HOKA has shown their commitment to constant innovation and continues to push the boundaries of elite performance racing shoes. I’ve found a partner in HOKA who will support me on my journey to success, and together I know we’ll achieve great things.”
At only 24 years of age, Sam is part of a new generation of elite pro triathletes re-writing the norms of possibility. He stunned the triathlon world with his performance at the 2022 IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, with his blistering course-record bike leg, leading to a runner-up finish. Chopping more than four minutes off the course record, his 4:04:36 (averaging 311 watts), meant that he finished the 112-mile (180k) course averaging 29.5 miles per hour (just over 44kph).
Sam’s confidence and natural talent extends to the third leg of any triathlon. After starting his career as a junior in 2016 with a win in his first sprint triathlon, he raced his first IRON- distance tri in June of 2019, and won that as well. He has battled through on-course crashes and shown remarkable grit throughout his career, including carrying his bike on his shoulder for a considerable portion of a hilly triathlon after a bike malfunction.
“Sam is a rare talent, and backs up his lofty goals with outstanding results,” said Mike McManus, Director of Global Sports Marketing at HOKA. “Our growing consumer base in Europe is well aware of his successes and we see an incredibly bright future for him.”
Though born in England, Sam competes under the tricolor of France and will be racing throughout the world in 2023, starting his HOKA-affiliated racing at the IRONMAN Lanzarote and continuing throughout the Collins Cup, other long-distance events, and culminating in a return to Kona in October. Laidlow will be under contract for four years, training most often in The Mach 5 and racing in both HOKA’s Rocket X2 as well as other race prototypes.
For more information, visit HOKA.com.
