IRONMAN World Championship 2026: the favourites dream of glory in Hawaii

Saturday, October 10, 2026 will be a historic date for global IRONMAN triathlon. After seven years apart, the IRONMAN World Championship returns as a unified event, with 2,548 men and women battling for the world title over the ultimate distance on a single race day, in their respective age groups and among the Pros. In the Hawaiian archipelago, where it all began in 1978...

Global triathlon is returning to its roots, much to the delight of its community. After IRONMAN Group split the men’s and women’s races, at a time when inclusion is on everyone’s lips, and introduced a rotation of host venues for the IRONMAN World Championship, things are now back to the sport’s original format: one World Championship in Kailua-Kona, on Hawaii’s Big Island, held over a single day with men and women racing together.

The 2,548 qualified triathletes, just 27% of them women, will once again face everything that gives this race its character and reputation:

A 3,800 m swim in the warm waters of the Pacific, without wetsuits, where gaps can open quickly, not least because of the many disruptive currents.
Scorching asphalt on the 180 km bike course, with 1,500 m of elevation gain, along the rollercoaster of Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway to the turnaround at Hawi, followed by a punishing return that is often into a headwind.
Then a brutal marathon, 42.195 km, as the mercury rises through the lava fields of the Energy Lab and the endless straight sections of Ali’i Drive.

The favourites in the women’s elite race

Fifty-four professional triathletes will line up for the women’s elite race, starting at 6:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. in France), which will be the final round of the 2026 IRONMAN Pro Series. Part of the $375,000 prize purse reserved for professional triathletes will be at stake, with $125,000 going to the winner, the same amount as in the men’s race.

The defending world champion, Norway’s Solveig Lövseth, will wear bib F1. She returns to Kona determined to defend the title she won in spectacular and unexpected fashion last year, in her first IRONMAN World Championship. The Norwegian passed several rivals in the closing kilometres of the marathon to win in 8:28:27.

Solveig Løvseth crowned champion in 2025

That winning momentum continued in 2026 with victories at IRONMAN Texas (United States) and IRONMAN Hamburg (Germany), as well as fourth place at the latest IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice (France).

Among those aiming to challenge Solveig Lövseth’s dominance is Britain’s Kat Matthews, a two-time IRONMAN Pro Series winner who finished second in Kona last year, helped by the fastest marathon of 2025, run in 2:47:23.

A three-time IRONMAN World Championship silver medallist, she arrives in Kona after winning IRONMAN New Zealand, as well as IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong (Australia) and Elsinore (Denmark) during the 2026 season.

Germany’s Laura Philipp will also be among the leading contenders. The 2024 IRONMAN World Champion in Nice finished third in Kona last year, securing her third consecutive IRONMAN World Championship podium. She heads into this edition full of confidence after setting a new course record at IRONMAN Kalmar 2026 (Sweden) in mid-August, clocking 8:13:17.

But the two outright super-favourites are Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay and American Taylor Knibb, both returning to the Hawaiian island with renewed ambitions. Both will be eager to put the disappointment of Kona 2025 behind them. Last year, they were both in contention for victory on this same course before being forced to withdraw during the run.

Long locked together at the front last year, Taylor Knibb (left) and Lucy Charles-Barclay (right) eventually both withdrew.

Lucy Charles-Barclay skipped the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice to fine-tune her preparation for this race, one she knows how to win after taking the title in 2023. Taylor Knibb, meanwhile, won her fourth 70.3 world title in Nice, but victory over the full distance continues to elude her, as shown by her second place at IRONMAN Texas last April.

A host of outsiders chasing the podium

Canada’s Paula Findlay will race her first IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. She established herself as a serious long-distance contender with an impressive win at IRONMAN Lake Placid (United States) on July 19, in her first-ever IRONMAN.

Switzerland’s Julie Derron will also be one of the most anticipated newcomers. The Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist qualified for Kona by winning IRONMAN Thun, at home in Switzerland in early July, then continued her Hawaii build-up with second place at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice.

New Zealand’s Hannah Berry, fourth in Kona last year, will add further depth to the field. She secured her Hawaii 2026 qualification early by finishing second at IRONMAN New Zealand in March, then built through the season and won IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast in Australia on September 13.

Austria’s Lisa Perterer, fifth in Kona last year on her island debut, followed a similar preparation path. Her win at IRONMAN Cozumel (Mexico) at the end of 2025 took the pressure off qualifying for Hawaii 2026 early. She was then able to prepare calmly, taking fifth place at both IRONMAN Hamburg (Germany) and Lake Placid (United States) midway through the year.

Three French women in the elite field

Four French pros had earned their slot for the 2026 edition. But Julie Iemmolo will not be there. Suffering from a wrist injury, the southern French athlete had to withdraw from the 70.3 World Championship in Nice. A week later, she returned to racing with a win at the M-distance triathlon in Istres and completed her first serious swim session just one week before the World Championship. Too late to hope for a strong result.

Marjolaine Pierré, on the other hand, has made it to the start line. Her fifth place in Nice left her with plenty of regrets, but also some encouragement, particularly about her ability to produce a big bike split. As she told us the day after her race in Nice, her main goal will be not to be overwhelmed by the scale of the event, as happened last year on her Hawaii debut.

Annę-Sophie Pierre will discover Kona this year and has done everything possible to acclimatise to its specific conditions, arriving in Kona at the end of September.

Nikita Paskiewiez, who qualified with third place at IRONMAN Lanzarote 2026 (Spain), will also make her Kona debut after finishing 28th at the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

A men’s field deeper than ever

Among the men, whose race starts at 6:20 a.m. (6:20 p.m. in France), defending champion Casper Stornes will be unable to defend the crown he won last year in Nice. Hit by a car while training on September 25, Stornes had to withdraw and will now recover from a fractured right collarbone and L3 vertebra.

Last year, Norway swept the podium at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice

Norway is therefore missing a key player, but will still have two strong cards to play in Gustav Iden, crowned here in October 2022, and above all the irresistible Kristian Blummenfelt, who looked superb at the latest IRONMAN 70.3 in Nice. With a few more running kilometres, “Big Blu” would surely have reeled in his rivals on the Promenade des Anglais and taken the world title from New Zealander Hayden Wilde. He had to settle for second, powered by a 1:05:12 half marathon, which bodes extremely well for Hawaii if he can maintain that form. His season has included a win at IRONMAN Texas (United States) on April 18, with a 2:30:47 marathon.

“Big Blu” showed sparkling form in Nice last month

His teammate Gustav Iden, the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship runner-up, will not be hiding either. He has already won in Kona in 2022, knows what it takes, and appears to be back at his best after finishing second at IRONMAN Hamburg (Germany) at the end of June.

Belgian Olympian Marten Van Riel appears to have made a seamless transition to IRONMAN. While his compatriot Jelle Geens is making waves over the half distance, Van Riel has made the full-distance format his own. He won Lake Placid (United States) this year and finished second in Texas (United States). But he knows the Hawaiian course and atmosphere less well than his main rivals, having never raced there before.

Marten Van Riel, winner at Lake Placid this season

The exact opposite is true of Patrick Lange, the German three-time Kona winner, most recently in 2024, and the last representative of the previous generation, one that often devoted an entire career to the legendary distance.

In 2018, he became the first man to break eight hours in Kona. Runner-up at Lanzarote (Spain) last May and ninth at Challenge Roth (Germany) in early July, he has not raced since, conserving his energy ahead of what should be, at 40, one of his final Konas. He has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2027 season. His running ability, course knowledge and race craft could prove invaluable allies.

His compatriot Jonas Schomburg, another convert from Olympic triathlon, could help fly the flag for Germany. He won IRONMAN Kalmar (Sweden) in mid-August in 7:22:57, but the 32-year-old’s one disadvantage will be his lack of Kona experience.

But Frenchman Sam Laidlow didn’t have much of that either when he finished second in 2022. The following year, he became IRONMAN World Champion in Nice, then took 18th place in Kona in 2024 and fifth at the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice. He has raced with great consistency in 2026: wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia (Spain) in April, IRONMAN Lanzarote (Spain) in May, and Challenge Roth (Germany) in July, where he set a new course record of 7:21:04, followed by Challenge Samarkand (Uzbekistan) in mid-September. His showdown with his Norwegian rivals is one of the most eagerly anticipated battles of the race.

With Léon Chevalier, fourth in Kona in 2024, absent, Sam Laidlow will be joined by rookies Pierre Le Corre and Vincent Luis. After years of success together on the French Olympic team, both triathletes have made the move to IRONMAN and will meet on Big Island for the first time.

The 36-year-old Breton Le Corre qualified early, in March, by finishing second at IRONMAN New Zealand in his first race over the distance, breaking the Sub8 barrier in 7:48:26. He rounded off his preparation with second place at the Triathlon XL de Gérardmer in early September.

Pierre Le Corre at the latest Gérardmer triathlon

Vincent Luis qualified at 37 by finishing fourth at IRONMAN Texas (United States) in April 2026, in 7:25:29. His second IRONMAN preparation race this year was unfortunately shortened by the heatwave in Frankfurt (Germany) in June: 125 km instead of 180 km on the bike and a half marathon instead of a full marathon. He finished fifth. Let’s hope the two-time Olympic world champion is not too short of reference points as he attempts what could look like his final dance.

The French professional contingent will be completed by Nathan Guerbeur, Arnaud Guilloux and Damien Le Mesnager. Arthur Horseau had to withdraw with injuries to his ankle tendons and Achilles tendon.

2,427 age-group triathletes at the IRONMAN World Championship

According to the organisers’ official figures, 2,427 age-group triathletes will take part in this IRONMAN World Championship at triathlon’s spiritual home. Among them are 156 French athletes, also according to the official figures, making France the fourth-largest delegation behind the United States (589 qualifiers), Germany (279) and Australia (166).

The largest men’s age group is 55–59, with 276 triathletes battling for the world title. Among the women, two age groups share the lead: 30–34 and 45–49, with 85 qualifiers each. The first waves will start at 6:38 a.m. (6:38 p.m. French time), according to the following schedule: