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British triathlon star Kat Matthews wins $200k IRONMAN bonus after another incredible World Championship performance

Second place behind Taylor Knibb for Kat, but a fantastic bonus for topping the IRONMAN Pro Series standings for 2024.
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Kat Matthews capped another incredible triathlon season by scooping a massive $200k bonus at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand on Saturday.

The British superstar completed a fantastic campaign by chasing home American superstar Taylor Knibb, who was completing a threepeat of 70.3 Worlds victories.

But for Kat there was an even bigger financial prize on the line than the $45,000 she claimed for her second place here – that $200,000 bonus on offer for topping the standings in the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series.

Kat Matthews IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Taupo New Zealand 2024
Kat Matthews topped the IRONMAN Pro Series standings for 2024 (Photo – Fiona Goodall, Getty Images for IRONMAN).
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What a year for Kat Matthews

Matthews came into this race almost assured of topping the end-of-season standings, having been a model of brilliance and consistency throughout the year. The second place behind Knibb completed that goal in some style.

The highlight of Kat’s campaign before Saturday was probably another sensational second-place finish behind Laura Philipp at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice. But that was only part of her superb Pro Series story in 2024.

Matthews had started her Pro Series journey with a brilliant victory at IRONMAN Texas back in April, and followed that up by also coming home first at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz in July. After that she warmed up for Nice by claiming second spot at IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn in August.

A $245k day for British star

In total then, Kat claimed a total of $245,000 in prize money on Saturday, on the back of her sensational performance in Taupo. $45,000 for finishing second and $200,000 for topping the Pro Series. In total she earned a sensational $363,000 from the Pro Series races she competed in during 2024.

It was a trademark performance from Matthews too, showing all the determination, all-round brilliance and aggression she is known for to push the amazing Knibb all the way.

Despite being almost 5 minutes behind heading into T2, Kat clocked the second fastest run of the day (1:15:34) to come home just over a minute behind the American superstar.

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Kat reacts to Pro Series success

As she reflected on an amazing year, and the Pro Series success, Kat spoke during the post-race press conference about the challenges it had presented, and how the sport is evolving to help meet those challenges.

She explained: “I’m really proud to finish the year with the goal that we set out at the start and I think…pulling that together with everything else going on has been a real logistical challenge, as well as a physical one.

“The funding behind it [IRONMAN Pro Series] and our reward, really enables us to travel to places like New Zealand, and do these races properly, with professionalism and considering our health and performance on race day… Hopefully I’ve set a good benchline for the future years of the IRONMAN Pro Series.” 

Final IRONMAN Pro Series Standings

When the dust had settled in New Zealand on Saturday, the final Pro Series standings looked liked this:

PosName Country  Pro Series Points Bonus (USD)Total (USD) 
1.Kat MatthewsGBR20761$200,000$363,000
2.Jackie HeringUSA18093$130,000$190,750 
3.Lotte WilmsNLD17678$85,000$128,250
4.Hannah BerryNZL17094$70,000$120,000
5.Maja Stage NielsenDNK15999$50,000$78,500
6.Danielle LewisUSA15416$40,000$75,750
7.Els VisserNLD15295$30,000$53,250
8.Daniela Bleymehl DEU14999$20,000$38,500
9.Alice AlbertsUSA14000$15,000$32,000
10.Penny SlaterAUS12997$10,000$44,500
IRONMAN Pro Series 2024 Kat Matthews Jackie Hering Lotte Wilms
Kat Matthews celebrates her 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series success with runner-up Jackie Hering and third-place Lotte Wilms (Photo – Fiona Goodall, Getty Images for IRONMAN).
Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
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