Gregory Barnaby (ITA) And Marta Sanchez (ESP) Claim IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship Titles and Maximum Points

December 1, 2024

• Gregory Barnaby’s win in Busselton moves the Italian to the top of the IRONMAN Pro Series with just one race to go
• Barnaby claims his first IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon title, while Marta Sanchez secures her second of the year. As race winners, Barnaby and Sanchez earn the maximum 2,500 IRONMAN Pro Series points on offer and each take home $12,000 USD
• Jamie Riddle (ZAF) and Marc Dubrick (USA) complete the men’s IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship podium, while Anna Bergsten (SWE) and Lotte Wilms (NLD) round out the women’s podium
• IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship was the penultimate stop of the 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series, with the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupō in a fortnight set to be the series decider

BUSSELTON, Australia (December 1, 2024)/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Gregory Barnaby (ITA) and Marta Sanchez (ESP) have claimed victory in the men’s and women’s professional races at the IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship, with both athletes impressing on their way to the top step of the podium in the penultimate race in the IRONMAN Pro Series. Barnaby’s win in Busselton has resulted in a seismic shift in the race for the inaugural men’s IRONMAN Pro Series title, with the Italian jumping four places to the top of the standings with just one race to go.

Both Barnaby and Sanchez secured maximum IRONMAN Pro Series points of 2,500 and each took home $12,000 USD for their wins.

Barnaby took the win in 3:37:35 while Sanchez was victorious in 4:06:38, with both winning on their first visits to the iconic Western Australian event.

Barnaby finished two minutes clear of South Africa’s Jamie Riddle, with American Marc Dubrick rounding out the podium.

“Amazing, I can’t quite believe it, it’s my first IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon win, it feels amazing,” said Barnaby. “I knew it was going to be a really, really hard day, there were fast swimmers, I tried to stay at the front and on the bike we had Robert Kallin and Kristian Høgenhaug, two of the best IRONMAN cyclists, I knew I had to try and stay at the front.”

Barnaby’s result is even more important in the context of the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series, with his 2,500 points moving him into the Series lead with one race remaining at the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupō, New Zealand in a fortnight.

“That was my goal for today, to stay at the front of the race but to get the win is amazing, it takes a bit of pressure off myself because I needed a really good score, I think that has probably secured my podium position in the IRONMAN Pro Series and now I can just go to Taupō to try and perform at my best like I always do and hopefully have a shot for the win,” he said.

Sanchez claimed the women’s win by just over a minute from Sweden’s Anna Bergsten, with Australian-based Dutch athlete Lotte Wilms just behind in third place.

“I couldn’t imagine a better race, the target was to qualify for next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, my home, so to take the win as well is something beyond words,” said Sanchez. “It was a very good race for me, I was really focused all of the time, my mind was really into the race, I’ve been racing a lot of IRONMAN distance so this felt quite short, so I just kept that focus until the end.”

Sanchez headed to Western Australia off the back of a number of strong performances, including a sixth at the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in France in September and a win at IRONMAN Calella-Barcelona last month.

“This year I don’t have words for it, I’m just really happy and I’m just trying to improve every year and let’s just see how next year goes,” she said. “This race gives me a lot of confidence, I’ve been training for the last block at altitude in Kenya so this is quite a good result.

“I expected it to be quite hot but for me it was the perfect weather, the water was a bit choppy but I really enjoyed it and then the bike was really fast. I have my Mum here and this week I have been involved with the local community so I heard my name all throughout the run which was a motivation. It was incredible to arrive to the finish line and have my closest friends and family there,” said Sanchez.

Top Five Female Professional Results

Top Five Male Professional Results

The 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship, part of the IRONMAN Pro Series, saw more than 50 professional athletes toe the start line. The event offered a professional prize purse of $75,000 USD and four female professional and four male professional qualifying slots to the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain.

Race Notes

• Sunday’s event was the first time that a professional race had been held as a part of IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia
• Barnaby’s 2,500 IRONMAN Pro Series points for the win has given him the overall lead in the men’s championship heading into the final round in New Zealand
• Kristian Høgenhaug (DNK) has moved into third in the men’s IRONMAN Pro Series standings following his 2,181 points in Busselton
• Lotte Wilms (NLD) now sits fourth in the women’s IRONMAN Pro Series standings and will be looking for a strong result at the final event to solidify her spot towards the front of the field
• Daniela Bleymehl (DEU), Hannah Berry (NZL) and Els Visser (NED) all made moves up the leaderboard in the women’s top 10 rankings
• The biggest mover in the women’s IRONMAN Pro Series field was Grace Alexander who jumped 16 positions with her 2,171 points and is now 27^th overall
• Marc Dubrick (USA) had the fastest professional men’s swim of the day with a 24:23, with Lotte Wilms (NLD) the fastest professional female with a 26:17
• Sweden’s Anna Bergsten set the fastest time in the women’s field on the 90km bike course with a 2:10:24, while Høgenhaug was the fastest male athlete with a 1:55:33
• Jarrod Osborne (AUS) was the fastest on the run in Busselton, covering the 21.1km in 1:10:22, following his win at IRONMAN 70.3 Melbourne two weeks ago. Daniela Kleiser (DEU) was the quickest female with a 1:17:56
• IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia was also the Asia-Pacific Championship, with Barnaby and Sanchez claiming the regional titles

Full results for the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship can be found at www.ironman.com/im703-western-australia-results. For additional event information, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-western-australia.

IRONMAN Pro Series Standings

The IRONMAN Pro Series™ is a year-long performance-based triathlon race series that will see professional triathletes earn points at 20 select races in 19 locations globally. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters™ with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. How it works can be found here.

Victories for Sanchez and Barnaby ensured both athletes walked away with the maximum IRONMAN Pro Series points available for an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon of 2,500. Sanchez now sits 23^rd in the overall IRONMAN Pro Series standings, while Barnaby has taken the overall lead in the men’s series. Athletes finishing behind the race winner saw their points diminish with every second that ticked off behind the race winner.

IRONMAN Pro Series Overall Standings – Top Five Females (After 18 events)

IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Males (After 18 events)

Full IRONMAN Pro Series standings can be found at https://proseries.ironman.com/

Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Event Prize Money

In addition to the IRONMAN Pro Series’ $1.7M year-end bonus prize pool, there is an event pro prize purse payout of $2,575,000, distributed across IRONMAN Pro Series events.

Top Five Female Prize Money Earned (After 18 events)

Top Five Male Prize Money Earned (After 18 events)

Next Events Coming Up

The 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series heads to New Zealand for the final round, with the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to be held on December 14 and 15.

For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit proseries.ironman.com. Media inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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About the IRONMAN Pro Series

The IRONMAN Pro Series™ is a year-long performance-based world series that will see professional triathletes earn points at 20 select races in 19 locations globally to vie for the title of IRONMAN Pro Series Champion and a share of the lucrative USD $1.7 million year-end bonus prize pool. Athletes will also continue to battle for each individual event’s prize money equating to over USD $2.5 million and coveted world championship qualifying slots. The IRONMAN Pro Series will consist of six full-distance IRONMAN® triathlons and 10 half-distance IRONMAN® 70.3® triathlons in addition to the split location women’s and men’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlons and two-day women’s and men’s VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlons. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the IRONMAN Pro Series will usher in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters™ with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. Incorporating iconic distances, challenging courses, and stunning destinations, every IRONMAN Pro Series race will be broadcast live and free to a global audience. An additional 18 events throughout 2024 will also offer IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 professional racing and world championship qualifying opportunities, as well as over USD $1.6 million in prize money to create a total 2024 professional prize purse of nearly USD $6 million. For more information, visit proseries.ironman.com.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series trail-running events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business, and Orkila Capital, a growth equity firm focused on building great brands. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.