Search
shop

IRONMAN 70.3 Taupo Results: Kyle Smith and Hannah Berry win on home turf

Kyle Smith and Hannah Berry of New Zealand take the titles at IRONMAN 70.3 Taupo.
Staff Reporter
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Kiwi star Kyle Smith kept a fast finishing Jack Moody and Kurt McDonald at bay in the final race of the 2023 IRONMAN calendar, as the versatile young gun secured his slot for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship next year in Taupo.

In the women’s race, Hannah Berry proved too strong for Lotte Wilms, who finished a string of races Down Under with a solid podium ahead of Rebecca Clarke in third.

Advertisement

Pro Men – Smith holds off Moody and McDonald

Leading out of the water in the men’s race was Spaniard Javier Gomez, with the recent IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay winner joined by Smith at the front of the field in T1, half a minute up on McDonald and Canadian Josiah Ney.

Further pack, in the chase pack lead by Sam Osborne, some of the pre-race contenders appeared to struggle with the early pace of the Olympic silver medalist up front, with Moody, Braden Currie and Mike Phillips all at around +1:15.

Out on to the bike, Smith and Gomez were soon joined by McDonald and by the 25km mark had almost doubled the gap back to the likes of Moody and Currie, as the leading trio made an early break for the podium.

Unfortunately for Gomez, his race ended on the bike, with the former IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion making it to the 70km mark before falling off the tracker, with Smith pushing on in his absence and dropping McDonald to come into T2 with half a minute on the Australian.

McDonald and Smith were side-by-side through the first half of the run, before Smith made a decisive move with 5km to go and looked to have finally cracked the Australian, with the gap quickly growing to almost a minute and Moody passing the Australian.

Kyle Smith won his hometown race at the 2023 IRONMAN Taupo Photo Graeme Murray
[Photo credit: Graeme Murray]

Despite a fast finish, Moody was unable to reel in Smith, as the IRONMAN 70.3 Ireland winner picked up his second victory of the year, with Moody in second and McDonald holding off Currie to take third.

Pro Women – Berry good run leaves Hannah on top!

In the women’s race, a seemingly fresh Wilms led out of the water, despite having finished third at IRONMAN Western Australia less than a week earlier, with the Dutch athlete entering T1 alongside Berry and Clarke, with Hannah Knighton not far behind.

On to the bike, Knighton lost ground to the front three early on, as Clarke and Berry tested Wilms, putting +0:20 into her by the halfway mark but losing their advantage by the end of the bike, as the PTO World #29 entered T2 first, with Berry and Clarke right on her heels.

Further back, Knighton was more than five minutes behind, with fifth place Deborah Fuller more than 10 minutes further back, meaning that the podium was likely to be decided by the breakaway group.

On to the run, Berry immediately established a significant lead which just continued to grow throughout the half marathon, with the battle for second a highly contested affair between Wilms and Clarke until the final few kilometres, where Wilms started to pull away.

Eventually taking the tape by more than five minutes, Berry impressed with a 1:22:34 split after a strong swim and bike combo, as Wilms picked up her third podium in as many races Down Under and Clarke rounded out her year with a podium finish.

IROMAN 70.3 Taupo 2023 Results

Pro Men

  • 1. Kyle Smith (NZL) – 3:44:30
  • 2. Jack Moody (NZL) – 3:45:19
  • 3. Kurt McDonald (AUS) – 3:45:21
  • 4. Braden Currie (NZL) – 3:47:41
  • 5. Ben Hamilton (NZL) – 3:48:24

Pro Women

  • 1. Hannah Berry (NZL) – 4:14:59
  • 2. Lotte Wilms (NED) – 4:20:30
  • 3. Rebecca Clarke (NZL) – 4:21:46
  • 4. Hannah Knighton (NZL) – 4:32:55
  • 5. Deborah Fuller (NZL) – 4:35:46
Tomos Land
Written by
Tomos Land
Tomos Land is a triathlon & running journalist whose expertise lies in the professional world of short course & long distance triathlon, though he also boasts an extensive knowledge of ultra-running.
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Toulouse 2024
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
Gwen Jorgensen reflective World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mer 2023
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
IRONMAN CEO Scott DeRue Women For Tri 2024
IRONMAN announce new age-group qualification system for Kona and 70.3 Worlds
IRONMAN World Championship 2019 / Kona 2019
IRONMAN’s new age-group system for Kona – all the big questions answered
Frederic Funk finish line Challenge Samarkand 2023 photo credit Challenge Family
Challenge Roth 2025: German star goes into the unknown in iconic triathlon showdown
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...