The final round of the 2023 Bundesliga saw Buschhütten claim the men’s championship in comfort. Across the racing in Hannover, Buschhütten seldom were challenged, despite star turns from the likes of Henry Graf. They therefore joined their female counterparts in securing another title and sending off long-serving generalissimo Rainer Jung in style.
Hannover saw no changes in position take place in either the top-3 or the bottom-3. Indeed, the most prominent shift came from the Graf-inspired Darmstadt.
Read on to find out how the final standings shaped up and how each team fared in the last race of the season.
1st) EJOT Team TV Buschhütten – 99 points (no change)
To cap a near-perfect season, Buschhütten won the round in Hannover. Aside from a blemish at the German Championships where Team Saar won, Buschhütten have not put a foot wrong all year.
Vetle Bergsvik Thorn was back to take the individual win in Hannover, adding another valuable contribution to go with his efforts at the season opener in Kraichgau. Jonas Schomburg and Simon Westermann then came home in 4th and 5th, respectively.
With an 8 point margin of victory at the top of the table, it has been a dominant year for Buschhütten. Their rivals will be back in 2024 but there is no doubt that the champions will be prepared.
2nd) Hylo Team Saar – 91 points (no change)
With the title realistically gone, there was not a lot left for Team Saar heading into Hannover. Their key men were all elsewhere as Lasse Nygaard Priester medalled in Valencia. With Tim Hellwig, Valentin Wernz and Chris Ziehmer all absent, the team was not at full strength and it showed as they slipped to tied 6th place, their worst finish of the season.
Jasper Ortfeld led the way in 18th while the Luxembourgish Junior David Lang had a good race to take 23rd place. Ian Manthey then rounded out the scoring in 35th.
Team Saar have all the pieces they need to win the championship back. At the end of the day, though, the most important thing is getting your best athletes on the start line. In contrast to Buschhütten, that is where Team Saar have fallen down this year.
3rd) Team Berlin – 80 points (no change)
Team Berlin consolidated their place on the overall podium with 5th place in Hannover. They thus became the second team (after Buschhütten) to make the podium in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
The World Ironman 70.3 champion, Rico Bogen, was highly influential for Berlin as he finished 6th in Hannover. Dries Matthys then followed with a very impressive 11th place. Unfortunately, did not quite have the depth they needed as Simon Wendlandt finished 55th. Nevertheless, they were able to hang on to 3rd overall.
4th) Triathlon Team DSW Darmstadt – 79 points (up 2 places)
In a late surge, Darmstadt very nearly snatched 3rd place away from Berlin.
A mighty performance from Henry Graf lifted the team to 2nd overall in Hannover. On an individual level, Graf also finished 2nd in what was his best performance of 2023. He led the prologue and then tried to fight off an elite chase pack containing Thorn, Schomburg, Bogen and more in the final.
Although it was not to be on the bike, Graf still had the nous and speed to seal a memorable medal.
Darmstadt’s success, though, was not built on the back of one man. Euan De Nigro and Lennart Sievers delivered in a big way as they finished 10th and 13th. Across the board, the Darmstadt team delivered in Hannover.
With a fairly young squad (De Nigro, in particular is still a Junior), they can look to build over the coming seasons and could become a major player.
5th) PSD Bank Tri Post Trier – 73 points (no change)
Depth has been the watchword for Trier all season. Once again, it reared its head in Hannover.
Jonas Osterholt had a very good race as he finished 7th. In the absence of Cedric Osterholt and Gjalt Panjer, though, her was not as well supported as he has previously been.
Hidde Mollee finished 32nd and Louis Woodgate finished 39th while saw Trier end up in 8th. Although they were overtaken by Darmstadt, the fact that Neckarsulm had a worse day saved their 5th place overall.
Looking to 2024, Trier have the crux of a top-4 team but they need depth for when Panjer or the Osterholts are not available.
6th) Sportunion Neckarsulm – 71 points (down 2 places)
Neckarsulm faded to 10th place in Hannover which saw them fall from 4th to 6th in the overall table.
Fabian Schönke was the top finisher in 16th while Silas Schmidt was right behind in 17th. A lack of a third scorer then showed as Matteo Brian Kozka crossed the line in 56th.
Neckarsulm have a good set-up with plenty of young German talent. On balance, they may lean a little too much on Simon Henseleit (who was absent in Hannover) and going forward will need someone to step up as a second medal threat.
7th) PUSCH-DATA-Team AST Süßen – 67 points (no change)
Süßen took 9th in Hannover after all three of their scorers finished in the 20s. Linus Lehnen took 22nd place while Nicoló Ragazzo and Michael Ziegler were close together in 28th and 29th.
In general it was a consistent performance, however they lacked the top-10 threat that the teams above them possessed.
8th) SSF Bonn Triathlon Team – 64 points (up 2 places)
Bonn saved their best for last. In the final race of the year, they claimed 3rd place to move into the top half of the standings.
Lasse Lührs proved the talismanic figure they had hoped as he earned 3rd himself. Nick Emde also broke into the top-10 as he claimed 9th place. Neilan Kempmann then signed off a very promising season with a finish of 15th.
While the men’s team did not match the success of their female colleagues, Bonn remain a work in progress and are on an upward trajectory. With athletes like Lührs, Emde and Kempmann in place, they do not have to change a lot to continue to rise. Things will certainly be easier next year if Lührs is not injured over the off-season as he was this time around.
Adding a little more depth certainly would not hurt, but Bonn can be confident that they are heading in the right direction.
9th) Team Weimarer Ingenieure – 64 points (no change)
Like Bonn, Weimar popped their best performance at the end of the year as they took 4th place in Hannover.
Alexander Kull put in a big display to take 8th place. He had the second fastest bike split in the final and could be one to watch next year. Theo Sonnenberg then followed in 24th while John Heiland finished 33rd.
Last year the team finished 14th overall so to break into the top-10 is a big statement.
10th) Triathlon Potsdam e.V. – 59 points (down 2 places)
Potsdam took 11th place in Hannover as they lost ground in the final standings.
Luca Fahrenson raced well to take 12th place. Matt Kreibich managed 36th place and Jakob Von Müller took 42nd place. They were only 1 finishing position away from tying with Neckarsulm. In the bigger picture, though, that would not have made any difference.
Potsdam will settle for 10th this year and will hope to improve in 2024.
11th) Absolute Teamsport KTT 01 – 53 points (up 1 place)
From 12th place in 2022 to 11th in 2023, KTT 01 are working their way up the rankings.
A 6th place in Hannover proved a very helpful result as they overhauled Witten. Peter Denteneer had a big hand in their successful end to the season as he finished 19th. Ian Pennekamp was close behind in 26th and Tuur Lemmens was close to a top-30 result in 31st.
12th) triathlon.one Witten – 48 points (down 1 place)
Witten came last in Hannover and had a race to forget.
Samuel Linsenmeier was their best finisher in 40th – itself not the best omen – and Bruno Krumbeck followed in 46th place. Thomas Epton then crossed in 54th place to seal their fate.
With a core of young German talent, Witten have a plenty of potential. From the outside, though, it does seem that they are missing a couple of international additions that could help to push their home talent further.
13th) WEICON Tri Finish Münster – 45 points (no change)
Münster tied for 11th in Hannover with Potsdam as Roee Zoarets finished 21st, Milan Tomin finished 25th and Jocelyn Mourier landed in 44th.
Having finished 11th overall in 2022, they have dropped back a little this year and will look to bounce back in 2024.
14th) Triathlon Team KSV Baunatal – 42 points (no change)
KSV Baunatal finished 13th in Hannover which saw them consolidate 14th in the overall standings. Having finished 13th overall last year (which was their best ever result), they may be slightly disappointed to have not matched it. As a smaller outfit, though, they have held their own impressively in 2023.
Hannes Butters was their finisher in Hannover in 20th place. Thomas Guilmot then followed in 27th and Jannik Hoffmann placed 51st.
15th) SV Würzburg 05 – 39 points (no change)
Würzburg always had an uphill challenge to get out of the bottom positions and a 14th place in Hannover was unfortunately not enough.
Seppe De Graef led the way in 37th place. Simon Den Braber and Stijn Hansen then finished in 41st and 50th, respectively. However, it was not enough for them to haul in KSV Baunatal.
16th) Team B&H Sport-Club Itzehoe – 27 points (no change)
Itzehoe earned 15th in Hannover to sign off a positive note.
All three of their scorers earned spots in the top-50 which was a very promising sign. Constantin Johannsen finished 43rd and Junias Benjamin Groth finished 47th. Lukáš Juránek then rounded out affairs in 48th place.
It has been a chastening season at times and Itzehoe finished last at three of their five races. They nonetheless continued to forge onwards and will have plenty to take away from their first season in the top division. Although they have been relegated, it would be no surprise to seem them back very soon.
