IRONMAN Champion heralds the strength of female long course racing and picks her main contenders for Nice

German triathlon titan Laura Philipp is one of the best competitors in long course triathlon right now, with last year seeing her rocket up the rankings to PTO World #6.

Along with a podium at the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii, Philipp was also third at Challenge Roth and won the IRONMAN 70.3 European Championship title in Tallinn.

In addition to her own hard work and training, Philipp also credits her success to a number of fierce competitors, who have quickly made women’s top triathlon races a must-watch.

“There are so many fierce competitors”

Having committed to racing the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, we spoke with Philipp ahead of a blockbuster season and asked (six months out!) who she expected to be battling for the win on the French Riviera in September.

“Female racing is really strong at the moment and there are so many fierce competitors that I am looking forward to race against!

“For Nice I think don’t think the favourites will differ so much: Anne Haug, Daniela Ryf, Chelsea Sodaro and Kat Mathews to name a few. 

“It’s sad that Lucy [Charles-Barclay] is not taking on the challenge of another course outside of Kona, because the race dynamics could look a bit different on a course like Nice. This will be very exciting to watch for sure!”

“Triathletes deserve to have their own race series”

Also competing in the T100 Triathlon World Tour this season, the 36-year-old will have a number of chances to compete against her biggest rivals, which she says can only be a good thing.

“It’s exciting to be part of a new development. Triathletes deserve to have their own race series and racing against the best athletes on a regular basis is a great chance for personal growth and development.

I” have come 3rd in Daytona and 4th in Edmonton (with a very unfair bike due to massive drafting in the lead group) over the 100k distance, and with the 20 metre rule on the bike I definitely think I can have strong races over the 100k distance.

“I don’t have any aims for any particular results going into these races, as my main focus will still be on the IRONMAN World Champs in Nice. But, I see the T100 races as a great chance to race hard, try new things and learn a lot that will be helpful for other World Championship races.”