Marten Van Riel Leads An All-Star Cast in Singapore For First T100 Race of 2025

March 5, 2025

London, UK /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – PTO World #1 Marten Van Riel will lead an all-star cast in Singapore after the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon announced the contracted male athletes who will toe the line on Sunday 5 April for the first T100 race of the season.

The Belgian star will go into the Singapore T100 Triathlon as favourite after being crowned the T100 World Champion last year, but can expect stiff competition everywhere he looks along the start line at the stunning Marina Bay swim course.

Especially his old Olympic adversary Hayden Wilde, who is relishing the opportunity to step up in distance and take him on in the T100 series for the first time.

“The thing I’m looking forward to about racing the T100 series is probably being strong in all three disciplines,” said the New Zealander, who won silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “So obviously the 20 meter non-drafting rule is great, being strong on the 18km run and then obviously, a few of the athletes will try to get rid of me on the swim.”

“I’m excited to race Martin [Van Riel]. We’ve had some duels over the last few years in the short course, but I know that his forte is probably this long course stuff. He’s gonna be super aggressive, so I’m looking forward to setting up on the line and giving him a bit of a rustle tussle throughout the season.”

But this is far from a two triathlete race. Defending Singapore T100 Triathlon champion, Dutchman Youri Keulen, who claimed his first win on the series here last year in dramatic fashion – when he collapsed after breaking the tape – is looking forward to defending his title: “I’m really looking forward to coming back to Singapore. It’s a place that is close to my heart and I have good memories from. I know the T100 series this year is more competitive and will be stronger in every discipline, so I don’t want to leave any stone unturned in my preparation. I’m adding more heat sessions and other different sessions to ensure I’m ready. I know I need to bring my A game. But I’d love to return and shake everyone’s hand after the finish. Because I missed that last year.”

Van Riel’s compatriot Jelle Geens is a dark horse for the world title in many people’s eyes having been the only person to beat him last term, as a Wildcard. Having earned a full contract for 2025, Geens will be looking to put down an early marker in the Lion City.

Geens has already ruffled a few American feathers by questioning the Hot Shot credentials of Morgan Pearson. Unsurprisingly, Pearson has singled out Geens as someone he’s looking forward to taking on. He has also highlighted that a winner in Singapore could come from anywhere.

“The T100 series is a race around the world at the highest level of competition and that’s something that I’m extremely attracted to,” explained Pearson. “Standing on the starting line and looking left and looking to the right and thinking, if I win this race, I’m basically the best in the world today. I just love that feeling.”

“I’m also excited to race Jelle Geens. We’ve got that beef, everyone wants to see it, I guess. He’s a great athlete…but I think he’s underestimated me.”

Returning from a hugely impressive second place in the overall 2024 series is another Kiwi, Kyle Smith, who has been vocal about his determination to make it to the top step in a T100 race very soon. Not forgetting American fan favourite Sam Long, who dramatically went from last out of the water to second place in 2024 despite the hot and humid conditions in Singapore and will surely also be eyeing his first T100 win.

The eighteen contracted T100 men racing can be found here and listed below:

1. Marten Van Riel (BEL)
2. Kyle Smith (NZL)
3. Jelle Geens (BEL)
4. Sam Long (USA)
5. Mika Noodt (GER)
6. Rico Bogen (GER)
7. Youri Keulen (NED)
8. Mathis Margirier (FRA)
9. Justus Nieschlag (GER)
10. Fred Funk (GER)
11. Gregory Barnaby (ITA)
12. Antonio Benito-Lopez (ESP)
13. Nicolas Mann (GER)
14. Menno Koolhaas (NED)
15. Léo Bergère (FRA)
16. Hayden Wilde (NZL)
17. Vincent Luis (FRA)
18. Morgan Pearson (USA)

The last two slots will be taken by Wildcards who will be announced on T100 social channels at the end of this week. The contracted T100 women racing in Singapore can be found here.

T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km triathlon on a similar course to the professionals, to first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events. As well as a 100km triathlon in Singapore, amateurs can also do a Standard (4.5km Run/32km Bike/4.5km Run) or Long (9km Run/64km Bike/9km Run) Duathlon, or an untimed 5km Music Run. All three events are on public sale here, but hurry as places are selling fast. Last year, Singapore’s Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung and only Olympic champion Joseph Schooling joined 5,000 amateur participants across the weekend.

The 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour will take place across nine races, including the return to Singapore to start the new series. It will then go to San Francisco (31 May-1 June), Vancouver (13-15 June), France (27-29 June), London (9-10 August), Valencia (20 September), Lake Las Vegas and Dubai (15-16 November). Before climaxing in Qatar for the new Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final (12-13 December) following a five-year partnership with Visit Qatar.

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Notes To Editors

How the 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour works:

• Athletes score 35 points for first place to 1 pt for 20th place at each of the nine races which contribute towards their T100 Race To Qatar ranking
• The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final has increased points to up the ante (55 pts down to 4 pts)
• Each athlete’s best four T100 race scores plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will count towards the women’s and men’s T100 World Championship titles

For Further Information:

Anthony Scammell E: Anthony.Scammell@protriathletes.org

About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)

The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. Its T100 Triathlon World Tour was introduced in January 2024 and is designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’, which is part of a 12-year strategic partnership with the sport’s international governing body. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is a season-long schedule of World Championship level races competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run), where the world’s best triathletes go head-to-head in iconic locations on a global broadcast showing the races live around the world in 195+ territories, courtesy of the PTO’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as a range of other international, regional and local broadcasters. In 2025 these will include: Singapore, San Francisco, Vancouver, France, London, Valencia, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and then Qatar for the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final. T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km distance to first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events. For more information visit www.t100triathlon.com

About World Triathlon

World Triathlon is the international governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be extraordinary.