Race preview: Ironman 70.3 Western Australia

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Nearly 80 of the top professional triathletes from around the world are preparing to line up in Busselton, Australia, for the penultimate race of the 2024 IM Pro Series at the IM 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship triathlon on Sunday 1 December, marking one of the largest professional start lists in the event’s 20-year history.

The race signals the 18th stop of the Ironman Pro Series and with just two races left on the calendar, points earned at the IM 70.3 Western Australia triathlon will be vitally important to athletes chasing top spots in the series. The performance-based triathlon competition has been contested throughout the year, with professional triathletes racing to earn points which accrue towards the title of IM Pro Series Champion, and in turn the lion’s share of a USD $1.7 million end-of-year bonus prize purse. Ironman 70.3 Western Australia race winners will earn 2,500 points towards the IM Pro Series standings, with every second an athlete finishes behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost.

Highlighting its prestige in the region and on the global circuit, the event has been designated as the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship and will offer professional triathletes a total prize purse of USD $75,000 and four qualifying slots per gender to the 2025 IM 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain, on November 8-9.

In the women’s professional race, five out of the current top 10 in the IM Pro Series standings are set to line up in Busselton, and nine out of the top 20.

The highest ranked of those athletes is Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK), sitting at number three in the IM Pro Series after four top 10 placings. Having completed five out of five scoring races, Stage Nielsen can’t catch the two athletes above her in the standings – Jackie Hering (USA) and Kat Matthews (GBR) – but should her Ironman 70.3 Western Australia result improve on her lowest scoring Ironman 70.3 race, she could further cement her third place beyond the reach of those athletes below her.

The four women who sit below Stage Nielsen in the IM Pro Series who are also racing the IM 70.3 Western Australia triathlon are Lotte Wilms (NLD), Daniela Bleymehl (DEU), Hannah Berry (NZL), and Els Visser (NLD), sixth, seventh, eighth, and 10th respectively. None of the four have … Read More