We Noticed: 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Start List, Kona Last Gasp in Sweden and More

We already knew that Sam Laidlow wouldn’t be lining up in Nice (read our coverage of that here), but with the official start lists for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice now released, there aren’t many other big names that aren’t joining the fun on the French Riviera next month. Both defending champs, Lucy Charles-Barclay and Jelle Geens are back, and both will face some very stiff competition, including the two runner-up finishers from last year’s race – Taylor Knibb and Kristian Blummenfelt.

The women’s race will take place on Saturday 12 September, with the men set to go a day later on Sunday 13 September, with a total professional prize purse of US$500,000 on the line.

As usual the course features the classic Nice format – a 1.9-km swim in the Mediterranean followed by a 90-km bike course that features lots of climbing, including an ascent of the Col de Vence before finishing with the flat, fast 21.1-km run along the Promenade des Anglais.

Last Chance for Kona Slots in Sweden

This weekend’s IRONMAN Sweden Kalmar race serves as the last chance to qualify for this year’s IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with three men’s and 3 women’s slots available. As with virtually every IRONMAN Pro Series event, there are incredibly deep and competitive fields set to race. While many of the top seeds have already nailed their Kona slots, there remain some big names still in the hunt for their chance to race on the Big Island.

The women’s race sees defending women’s champion Katrine Christensen (DEN) taking on 2024 IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp (GER). The pair raced at IRONMAN Hamburg earlier this year, with Philipp taking second ahead of Christensen’s third. Others in the field to keep an eye on include American Jackie Hering, Sara Sven’s (SWE), Leonie Konczalla (GER), Rachel Zilinskas (USA), Rebecca Clarke (NZL), Henrike Grueber and Jeanne Collonge (FRA), who is fresh off a runner-up finish at the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon last week.

Philipp, Christensen, Hering, Hofmann, Svensk, Zilinskas, and Güber are already qualified for Kona, which means that Konczalla, Collonge, Jenny Jendryschik (GER), Johanna Ahrens (GER), Antonia Milowsky (GER) and Clarke are likely to find themselves battling for one of the three Kona slots.

Americans Matthew Marquardt and Trevor Foley arrive in Kalmar as the two top seeds, although Germany’s Jonas Schomburg is one of many men in the field likely to compete for the win. Add to that list the likes of Spain’s Antonio Benito Lopez, Denmark’s Daniel Bækkegård, Italy’s Gregory Barnaby (the winner of the IRONMAN Pro Series in 2024) and French Olympian Pierre Le Corre.

Home-country favorite Jesper Svensson is one of the men in the hunt for a Kona slot in Kalmar, along with Bækkegård, Barnaby, Luciano Taccone (ARG), Jonas Hoffmann (GER), Henrik Goesch (FIN), Finn Große-Freese (GER) and Mathias Petersen (DEN).

Here’s the full start list for Saturday’s race:

Schoeman and Van Coevorden Tops in Lapu Lapu

Henri Schoeman and Natalie Van Coevorden won the professional men’s and women’s races at IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu Lapu in the Philippines on August. 9, both leading from start to finish.

South Africa’s Schoeman repeated last year’s win, finishing in 4:08:53, nearly four minutes ahead of Sebastian Fuchs, with Ben Hamilton third. Schoeman led out of the 1.9km swim, extended his advantage on the bike in the heat, then held off a fast-closing Fuchs over the run. “It means so much, I’ve had a really tough two years, struggling to find my form, so this win is going to give me confidence,” he said, adding that despite feeling cramped and exhausted, he never doubted himself once he’d built a lead.

Australia’s Natalie Van Coevorden claimed her third IRONMAN 70.3 win of 2026, after earlier victories in Vitoria-Gasteiz and Western Sydney. She finished in 4:30:12, more than 17 minutes clear of fellow Australian Charlotte McShane, with Paige Cranage completing an all-Australian podium. Van Coevorden exited the swim just four seconds ahead of McShane, then pulled away steadily across the 90 km bike leg and the run, racing largely alone through what she called some of the toughest conditions — hot and windy — she’s faced in a 70.3. “Every win is very special… to have my third win in 2026 is really special,” she said, crediting a steady, disciplined pacing strategy for the result.

Quick Notes

At IRONMAN 70.3 Rio de Janeiro, Serbia’s Ognjen Stojanovic broke away from a shrinking lead group late in the run to win in 3:50:52, with Enzo Krauss second and Martin Baeza third. In the women’s race, home favorite Djenyfer Arnold led wire-to-wire, building a near eight-minute lead off the bike and cruising to victory in 4:14:15 ahead of an all-Brazilian podium with Pamella Nascimento de Oliveira and Pietra Meneghini. Full results here.

At the World Triathlon Cup in Asunción, Paraguay — the first time the city hosted a World Cup event — New Zealand’s Dylan McCullough and USA’s Danielle Orie both won tight sprint finishes, edging their nearest rivals by just a few seconds. Full results here.

Arthur Serrières and Alizée Patiès completed perfect weekends at XTERRA Czech, each winning Saturday’s Full Distance Triathlon, then taking the Short Track races on Sunday. Results available here.

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