\u202fA talent-packed field will line up in Corio Bay on 22 March as the IRONMAN Pro Series moves onto its second stop at the 70.3 Geelong triathlon. After an electric season opener in Taup\u014d, New Zealand, attention now shifts to Australia where more than 60 professional triathletes will go head\u2011to\u2011head for the Geelong titles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With former champions returning, big names looking to rebound after Taup\u014d, and several athletes hoping to arrive in peak form, Geelong is primed for one of the most compelling battles of the early racing calendar.\u00a0
The men’s race features a showdown for the ages, as reigning and two-time World Champion Jelle Geens of Belgium, 2022 World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway and 2024 World Championship runner-up Hayden Wilde of New Zealand go head-to-head for the first time over the middle distance. The last time the trio raced was at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where Wilde took the silver medal. \u00a0\u00a0
Geens, who lives on the Gold Coast in Australia, returns to Geelong as the defending champion but will face serious competition from Blummenfelt, in a repeat of their incredible battle at last year’s World Championship triathlon in Marbella \u2013 where Geens outsprinted Blummenfelt to clinch his second title by just three seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blummenfelt will no doubt relish the opportunity to not only go head-to-head with Geens again, but to have another chance at victory so soon after finishing sixth at the New Zealand triathlon in Taup\u014d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It would take a brave person to bet against the Olympic champion, World Champion, 70.3 World Champion, and reigning Pro Series champion.\u00a0
Geens will also face Wilde, another athlete he’s beaten to the 70.3 World Championship title, having run away from the Kiwi in the final few kilometres of the 2024 edition held in Wilde’s hometown of Taup\u014d, New Zealand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two-time Olympic medallist had been building towards a short course race before turning his attention to the 70.3 Geelong triathlon \u2013 and with Blummenfelt having raced a triathlon two weeks earlier, and Geens building towards his triathlon debut in Texas next month, Wilde’s short course speed could be a decisive factor in the race for the title in Geelong.\u00a0
Like Blummenfelt, Pierre Le Corre of France and Kyle Smith of New Zealand both head to Geelong after racing in Taup\u014d with contrasting fortunes. Le Corre finished second in what was a highly impressive full distance debut, while Smith faded to 11th after a gutsy performance that saw the Kiwi lead for much of the race. Both Le Corre and Smith have won middle distance titles and could upset the top three seeds in Geelong.\u00a0
Leading the Australian charge at the 70.3 Geelong triathlon is Jake Birtwhistle. The Tasmanian finished second to Geens in last year’s race and is a two-time 70.3 champion, including victory on the Sunshine Coast last September. Meanwhile, up-and-coming athlete Josh Ferris will hope to continue the success of last year, which saw the Aussie earn two 70.3 titles and a second place at the 70.3 Sunshine Coast triathlon behind Birtwhistle.\u00a0
Briton Kat Matthews headlines the women’s race in Geelong. The two-time Pro Series champion began her 2026 campaign with a win at last weekend’s New Zealand triathlon in a new course best time. The two-time 70.3 World Championship runner-up will hope to secure another win in Geelong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthews’ two closest challengers will likely be Tamara Jewett of Canada and Grace Thek of Australia. Jewett will be happy with how she started her season in Taup\u014d, finishing fourth and running a 2:42 marathon to smash the New Zealand run course best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A five-time 70.3 champion and two-time top 10 finisher at the 70.3 World Championship, Jewett is always a threat over the middle distance. Meanwhile, Thek will line up for her ninth consecutive 70.3 Geelong triathlon \u2013 a race she considers home and one that means more to her than any other. Thek has never finished off the podium in Geelong but has only once claimed the title \u2013 in 2023.\u00a0
Australia’s Milan Agnew will return to Geelong hoping for redemption after posting a DNF at last year’s race. The Sunshine Coast based athlete has the ability to podium over the middle distance, having won her maiden 70.3 triathlon on home soil in 2024 and last year finished third at the 70.3 Krak\u00f3w triathlon and in the top 20 in her 70.3 World Championship triathlon debut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another Australian hoping to put a DNF at last year’s 70.3 Geelong triathlon behind her is Penny Slater. The Canberran will be aiming to kickstart her Pro Series campaign with a good points haul and rediscover the consistency that saw her finish 10th in the 2024 series.\u00a0
Meanwhile, Gabrielle Lumkes of the USA and Nina Derron of Switzerland will arrive in Geelong hoping to build on their Pro Series points total after finishing seventh and 12th respectively at last weekend’s New Zealand triathlon.\u00a0
The 2026 edition of the 70.3 Geelong\u202fevent\u202fis set to welcome more than 1,600 age-group participants who will race alongside the professionals. Those racing the 70.3 Geelong triathlon will compete for slots to the 70.3 World Championship triathlon taking place in Nice, France,\u202fon 12-13\u202fSeptember.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong triathlon will offer professional triathletes a total event professional prize purse of $50,000 USD and three qualifying slots per gender to the 2026 70.3 World Championship. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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