Norway’s triathlon hero Kristian Blummenfelt compared to Superman after all-white uniform becomes see-through

Despite winning gold in the men’s triathlon at the Tokyo Olympics, it was Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt’s outfit that caused a stir for some.

The Olympic men’s triathlon event sees athletes participate in a 1.5km swim, followed by a 40km cycle and finally a 10km run.

Beginning with the swim meant the athletes were soaked before continuing the next two legs of the event.

Blummenfelt, who completed the race in one hour, 45 minutes and four seconds, wore an all-white outfit that instantly became see-through, prominently showing his black swim trunks underneath for the rest of the race.

With scorching heat in Japan where the games are being held, sweat meant that Blummenfelt’s white race suit stayed see-through for the entirety of the race.

As he crossed the finish line as the winner, his black swim trunks were clearly visible, prompting lots of joking on social media.

Journalist Emily Benammar tweeted a piece of commentary she’d heard in which the person compared Blummenfelt to the superhero Superman.

She wrote: “They are of course his swimmers under there. Superman wears his underpants on the outside. They’ve got it wrong haven’t they.”

More superhero comparisons were made as another joked the outfit designer must have been inspired by Captain Underpants.

Former American track athlete Kyle Merber tweeted: “Did Norway think to test their triathlon uniform in water?”

Another user wrote: “I’m going to need someone to explain to me how any one could’ve thought Norway’s #Triathlon uniforms were a good idea.”

It’s unlikely that 27-year-old Blummenfelt cared, as he secured the first Olympic gold medal of his career.