IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney results 2026: Home wins for Birtwhistle and Van Coevorden

Jake Birtwhistle and Natalie Van Coevorden won the men’s and women’s professional races at IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney on Sunday, with both athletes putting in dominant displays on their way to the top step of the podium.

Birtwhistle won the men’s race in 3:32:59, almost three minutes clear of New Zealand’s Trent Thorpe, with Jarrod Osbone crossing the line in third.

Van Coevorden took the tape in the women’s race in 4:00:58, three minutes clear of Ellie Salthouse, with Regan Hollioake rounding out the podium.

Pro Men – From Singapore to Sydney

Thorpe was first out of the water, just ahead of fellow Kiwi Ivan Abele and hometown athlete Josh Ferris, with Birtwhistle hot on their heels. Once they got onto the bike, Birtwhistle worked his way to the front, swapping positions with Ferris and Cam Wurf throughout the 90km leg.

Birtwhistle hit the run course right behind Wurf and Ferris, taking the lead within the first kilometre and not looking back from there on his way to victory.

Jake Birtwhistle winning IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney 2026 — Jake Birtwhistle crosses the line [Photo credit: Alex Polizzi | IRONMAN]

“It was really good, I was really happy with the race. I was able to put myself right where I wanted to be throughout the swim, bike and run and was towards the front for most of the bike and I stayed out of trouble and kept the pace on,” said Birtwhistle. “There were some guys out there that were really working hard and they put a bit of pressure on me for sure. So, I was glad to finish the bike and get onto the run and from then it was kind of just survival all the way to get home. Having just done a middle distance race a week ago, I definitely felt that in my legs today, so it was a bit of a relief to get all the way around and all the way to the finish line in first place.

“The bike was really solid again today and the fast times kind of reflect that. And then I was comfortable on the run, but I just felt like I couldn’t go any quicker, so I’m glad I was able to get some space on second place,” he said.

It’s been a big last week for Birtwhistle, with a T100 race in Singapore last Saturday before a quick trip home to Tasmania before making his way to Western Sydney.

“I’m feeling ready for a rest at the moment for sure, thankfully I have a little bit of time to bounce back before the next race. I’m heading home back to Tassie now and I’ll get a bit of training in and then keep working for the rest of the season,” he said.

Pro Women – Special win for Van Coevorden

Van Coevorden was mixing it up at the front of the field all day, exiting the water first ahead of Rebecca Clarke of New Zealand, with Salthouse finishing the swim in third. Throughout the ride the lead group jostled for position constantly, with Salthouse first back into transition ahead of Hollioake and Van Coevorden.

Once onto the 21.1km run Van Coevorden quickly got to work closing the gap down to Salthouse, making the pass for the lead at the three-kilometre mark and then pushing ahead from there.

Natalie Van Coevorden claiming the title at IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney 2026 — Natalie Van Coevorden celebrates her win [Photo credit: Alex Polizzi | IRONMAN]

“I’m really happy to be honest, I had a disappointing race at the end of March, so I really wanted to come out here and showcase what I know I can do, and led from start to finish today,” said Van Coevorden. “I’m happy to put it on in front of a home crowd, the atmosphere was amazing out there today too.”

Van Coevorden made her IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon professional debut at this race back in 2016, finishing on the podium, with her home race a special one.

“It’s really special, I think a lot has happened between 2016 and now with Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, but to do it here and to win on home soil is always really special. To have a winning day in front of my home crowd is also amazing,” she said. “For many years I’ve watched this race from the sidelines, and I’ve always wanted the Pro race to come back to Western Sydney and I think it just shows that so many age groupers today were cheering us on and wanted to meet us, so it’s great to have a professional race back here.

“I’ve got three races in Europe coming up and hopefully I can produce more performances like I did today and showcase to the world how good we are from Australia,” said Van Coevorden.