Solveig Løvseth will look to strengthen her lead at the top of the IRONMAN Pro Series standings next month when she lines up as the highest-ranked athlete at 70.3 Swansea.
The Norwegian, who has enjoyed an outstanding start to the season with two full-distance wins in Texas and Hamburg, plus a second place at Oceanside, is the clear favourite to secure maximum points as she makes her race debut on the South Wales coast.
More than 50 professional athletes are set to take to the start line, with an understandably strong British presence across both the men’s and women’s fields, joined by a host of international rivals.
Pierré looking for Hamburg revenge?
The tenth stop on the Pro Series circuit, it will offer $50,000 and two qualifying slots per gender to the 2027 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, which will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Joining Løvseth in the women’s field is French favourite Marjolaine Pierré, who has also enjoyed an impressive season so far, securing victory on home soil at IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence before backing it up with a fourth-place finish at the IRONMAN Hamburg European Championships.
Having led in Germany’s second city for long parts of the race, she was eventually hunted down by a relentless Løvseth and will be looking to renew the battle when they come face-to-face once again in Wales.
The strong British contingent is led by the 2024 champion, Nikki Bartlett, who will be making her season debut after overcoming a series of personal challenges.
Strong contingent of British athletes
Joining her is fellow Brit Lizzie Rayner, who recently recorded a top-ten finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence and will be targeting a share of the prize purse. Other British athletes to keep an eye on include Rebecca Anderbury (GBR), Kate Curran (GBR) and India Lee (GBR).
Germany will also be well represented by Daniela Kleiser and Lena Meißner, two athletes renowned for their speed over the middle distance. Kleiser heads to Swansea fresh from victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau, while Meißner secured third place at IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore last weekend.
For the men’s race, two-time defending champion Harry Palmer (GBR) returns to Swansea looking to make it a victory hat-trick. Having claimed the title in both 2024 and 2025, Palmer knows exactly what it takes to succeed on this course.
Fellow Brit Kieran Lindars (GBR) returns to Swansea after securing third place at the event in 2025. Making his first IRONMAN 70.3 start of the season, Lindars will be aiming to climb the podium and strengthen his bid for qualification to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
Plenty of in-form challengers
Flying in from France, Pierre Le Corre will have the podium firmly in his sights after restarting his Pro Series campaign following a DNF at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong just weeks after his impressive second place on debut at IRONMAN New Zealand.
He will be joined by fellow Frenchmen Simon Viain and Léon Chevalier. Viain arrives in strong form after claiming third place at IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore last weekend with an exceptional run, while Chevalier returns to Swansea after finishing runner-up at this event in 2025. Both athletes are expected to be among the key contenders on race day.
Other men to watch include Germany’s Mika Noodt, who has achieved some success on the T100 Triathlon World Tour and makes a first return to 70.3 since winning at Zell am See in 2024. Belgium’s Joran Driesen and another German, Paul Schuster, are also athletes to look out for.
Pro Series standings: Women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solveig Løvseth | NOR | 12,385 |
| 2 | Lotte Wilms | NED | 10,691 |
| 3 | Kat Matthews | GBR | 10,000 |
| 4 | Fenella Langridge | GBR | 9,876 |
| 5 | Hannah Berry | NZL | 9,734 |
| 6 | Grace Thek | AUS | 9,472 |
| 7 | Katrine Christensen | DEN | 9,281 |
| 8 | Tamara Jewett | CAN | 8,226 |
| 9 | Marta Sanchez | ESP | 7,671 |
| 10 | Taylor Knibb | USA | 7,281 |
Pro Series standings: Men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristian Blummenfelt | NOR | 14,142 |
| 2 | Matt Hanson | USA | 10,814 |
| 3 | Sam Long | USA | 8,697 |
| 4 | Rudy Von Berg | USA | 8,543 |
| 5 | Ben Kanute | USA | 8,155 |
| 6 | Rasmus Svenningsson | SWE | 7,585 |
| 7 | Trevor Foley | USA | 7,500 |
| 8 | Marten Van Riel | BEL | 7,408 |
| 9 | Casper Stornes | NOR | 7,244 |
| 10 | Jonas Schomburg | GER | 6,950 |
