FEATURE: ‘Fortunate’ cap wearer a star in Taiwan

HONORARY CITIZEN: The triathlete, who visited Taiwan this week, stated everybody has luck inside themselves, however they only want one thing to assist draw it out of them

When Norwegian triathlete Gustav Iden was topped 2019 Ironman 70.3 world champion in Good, the very last thing he might have imagined was turning into a family title in Taiwan.

Most Taiwanese cared little about Ironman occasions and even knew what they concerned, and it made no distinction to them that along with his win in France on the age of 23, he turned the youngest-ever Ironman world champion.

Nonetheless, what did catch their consideration was the baseball cap he wore as he crossed the end line in Good. It confirmed the title of a Taoist temple in Changhua County in Chinese language characters, making him an area star and the cap from Puyan Shunze Temple (埔鹽順澤宮) essential.

The temple, which honors Xuantian Shangdi (玄天上帝, Emperor of the Mysterious Heaven), one of many higher-ranking Taoist deities, made solely 500 caps to provide to worshipers without spending a dime in 2019, however needed to make 370,000 extra to fulfill demand since Iden was seen carrying it in Good in September 2019.

Iden stated he discovered the cap on the bottom in Japan earlier than the Tokyo Olympics take a look at occasion earlier in 2019.

“Simply thought it appeared cool, so I cleaned it up and began to make use of it,” he stated in an interview after profitable the race in France.

Nonetheless, what has prompted the craze for the temple cap in Taiwan goes past what it seems like or {that a} overseas athlete wore it; it’s in excessive demand due to the supposed luck it introduced the Norwegian ironman.

Together with his breakout win in Good, Iden has received all 10 races through which he wore the temple’s cap.

His newest win whereas carrying the cap got here within the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October — a 225km journey comprised of a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike experience and a 42km run — that Iden accomplished in a document time of seven hours, 40 minutes and 24 seconds.

On the Tokyo Olympics triathlon, a shorter race with a 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run, Iden was not carrying the hat and he completed eighth.

Coincidence? Who’s to say, however giving the Puyan Shunze Temple gods all of the credit score for Iden’s exploits may be stretching it.

Main as much as the Good win in 2019, Iden had World Cup wins in Lausanne and Weihai, a second-place end at an Ironman 70.3 occasion in Bahrain in 2018 and excessive finishes at triathlon occasions in 2019, so he was an ascending athlete within the sport.

Nonetheless, many Taiwanese have embraced the story of the good-luck cap, and when Iden was invited by Changhua County to go to the temple later in 2019, he was greeted like a rock star.

He was additionally named an honorary citizen of Changhua throughout that journey for bringing the county worldwide consideration.

Recalling that go to, Iden, who’s in Taiwan for the week, stated on Friday that the expertise was “overwhelming.”

“We visited a city corridor the place I noticed approach, approach, extra individuals than I assumed was going to be there. Simply the entire expertise, the primary time was like a hurricane.”

Iden and his coaching associate Kristian Blummenfelt, who received Olympic gold within the Tokyo triathlon, are visiting Taiwan on the invitation of Iden’s sponsor, Taiwan-based bicycle designer and maker Large Manufacturing.

Throughout their keep, the 2 visited Pingtung as particular friends for an Ironman race earlier than a go to to the Puyan Shunze Temple right now, and are to depart Taiwan tomorrow.

Born in Bergen, Norway, in 1996, Iden has had great success within the sport over the previous three years, with Ironman 70.3 world titles in 2019 and final yr, and the Ironman world title this yr.

Nonetheless, his first style of actual fame got here in Taiwan because of the fortunate cap, he stated.

“Truly, again dwelling, I really feel like individuals don’t actually know who I’m, however right here, I’ve extra followers than in Norway,” he stated.

When he was in a taxi on Friday, his Taiwanese helpers instructed the driving force that Iden was the person well-known for carrying the Changhua temple cap, and the driving force instantly responded by saying they knew who he was, Iden stated.

His fame has reached different components of the world. In the course of the October race in Hawaii, Iden stated he noticed many others within the race carrying the identical cap, and it made him completely happy to see that his story was uniting individuals.

“For me, it’s like an emblem of tribes, and it’s reaching all world wide,” he stated.

The fortunate cap additionally gave him the possibility to signal with Large.

“Ever since I realized that the cap was from Taiwan, I assumed it was so pure for me to signal with Large. It’s been a fairy story and, yeah, we’ve grown a lot collectively since.”

Though it appears the cap has given him a lot, Iden stated he didn’t consider in an outdoor supernatural energy.

“It’s loopy how I by no means misplaced with it, however I feel the superpower sort of comes from believing in your self,” he stated.

He stated he feels that everybody has that energy inside themselves, and so they simply want one thing additional to assist draw it out of them, “whether or not it comes from a fortunate hat or a bracelet or no matter.”

“I hope my hat can deliver some superpowers from inside to many individuals,” he stated.