We waited four years for Taupō to finally stage triathlon’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, and boy did it deliver.

After Taylor Knibb’s spectacular victory and that incredible performance from Kat Matthews on Saturday, Sunday saw the Pro Men take centre stage. And they produced another epic race worthy of the event.

Local hero Hayden Wilde went into the race as hot favourite to claim an emotional success, and for most of the day it looked like that would indeed happen.

READ MORE: What is a good IRONMAN 70.3 time?

But then, as he had at Paris 2024 in July, the Kiwi great started to flag just a little, leaving the way open for Belgian star Jelle Geens to motor through for a brilliant win. It was a thrilling finale after a terrific day of racing in an iconic triathlon location.

Sunday wasn’t just about Jelle and Hayden though, it was a stacked field which toed the line, and we have full finishing times for every single one of them.

Full finishing order and times – Pro Men

A total of 41 Pro Men finished Sunday’s race – here is the full order and their times:

• 1. Jelle Geens (BEL) – 3:32:09 (22:23 / 1:59:08 / 1:07:34)
• 2. Hayden Wilde (NZL) – 3:33:22 (22:20 / 1:58:51 / 1:09:05)
• 3. Léo Bergère (FRA) – 3:35:08 (22:02 / 1:59:29 / 1:10:28)
• 4. Kyle Smith (NZL) – 3:37:51 (22:22 / 1:59:09 / 1:13:15)
• 5. Justus Nieschlag (GER) – 3:38:06 (22:24 / 1:59:07 / 1:13:25)
• 6. Henri Schoeman (RSA) – 3:39:20 (22:19 / 2:00:07 / 1:13:29)
• 7. Rico Bogen (GER) – 3:39:36 (22:18 / 1:59:02 / 1:14:59)
• 8. Harry Palmer (GBR) – 3:39:42 (23:06 / 2:01:29 / 1:11:25)
• 9. Gregory Barnaby (ITA) – 3:40:14 (22:54 / 2:01:45 / 1:12:05)
• 10. Marc Dubrick (USA) – 3:40:27 (22:02 / 2:03:04 / 1:12:05)
• 11. Wilhelm Hirsch (GER) – 3:41:27 (22:16 / 2:02:23 / 1:13:38)
• 12. Tom Bishop (GBR) – 3:42:01 (22:55 / 2:01:52 / 1:13:33)
• 13. Kacper Stepniak (POL) – 3:42:26 (22:25 / 2:02:18 / 1:14:20)3
• 14. Braden Currie (NZL) – 3:44:28 (22:57 / 2:04:32 / 1:13:15)
• 15. Matt Hanson (USA) – 3:44:47 (23:21 / 2:07:40 / 1:10:17)
• 16. Ben Hamilton (NZL) – 3:44:50 (23:15 / 2:04:09 / 1:13:33)
• 17. Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN) – 3:44:52 (23:13 / 2:02:10 / 1:15:53)
• 18. Thomas Davis (GBR) – 3:44:54 (22:58 / 2:04:37 / 1:13:48)
• 19. Colin Czuch (USA) – 3:45:26 (25:18 / 2:04:30 / 1:11:31)
• 20. Jack Moody (NZL) – 3:45:34 (23:16 / 2:06:12 / 1:12:31)
• 21. Mike Phillips (NZL) – 3:46:59 (23:11 / 2:04:13 / 1:16:01)
• 22. Federico Scarabino (URU) – 3:47:14 (23:06 / 2:04:22 / 1:16:07)
• 23. Mitchell Kibby (AUS) – 3:47:18 (23:19 / 2:07:27 / 1:12:54)
• 24. Josh Amberger (AUS) – 3:47:22 (22:00 / 2:05:50 / 1:15:52)
• 25. Kurt McDonald (AUS) – 3:48:32 (23:00 / 2:02:03 / 1:20:09)
• 26. Dieter Comhair (BEL) – 3:49:05 (26:13 / 2:03:47 / 1:15:28)
• 27. Caleb Noble (AUS) – 3:49:43 (22:55 / 2:08:07 / 1:14:49)
• 28. Jason West (USA) – 3:49:55 (23:04 / 2:13:37 / 1:09:52)
• 29. Ari Klau (USA) – 3:50:45 (27:03 / 2:09:20 / 1:10:39)
• 30. Mathis Margirier (FRA) – 3:51:39 (23:03 / 2:03:25 / 1:21:44)
• 31. Sam Osborne (NZL) – 3:52:26 (22:57 / 2:08:04 / 1:17:52)
• 32. Greg Harper (USA) – 3:53:23 (21:48 / 2:09:34 / 1:18:00)
• 33. Ruben Zepuntke (GER) – 3:55:04 (23:01 / 2:01:17 / 1:26:52)
• 34. Anthony Costes (FRA) – 3:55:09 (23:08 / 2:13:51 / 1:14:36)
• 35. Matthew Marquardt (USA) – 3:56:19 (23:02 / 2:12:44 / 1:16:11)
• 36. Matthew Ralphs (RSA) – 3:56:43 (25:19 / 2:05:29 / 1:21:36)
• 37. Nicholas Free (AUS) – 3:59:40 (23:12 / 2:14:36 / 1:18:24)
• 38. Michael Arishita (USA) – 4:04:22 (23:04 / 2:14:55 / 1:22:39)
• 39. Calvin Amos (AUS) – 4:04:41 (28:52 / 2:11:56 / 1:20:07)
• 40. Armando Matute (ECU) – 4:07:30 (22:28 / 2:27:11 / 1:14:02)
• 41. Martin Ulloa (CHI) – 4:13:37 (22:58 / 2:21:14 / 1:25:03)

IRONMAN Pro Series results

When the dust settled in New Zealand, we also saw the first IRONMAN Pro Series champions crowned.

Matthews clinched the $200k top bonus for Pro Women with that brilliant runners-up performance on Saturday, and on Sunday it was Gregory Barnaby overtaking Patrick Lange to take the top bonus for Pro Men.