To say it was an eventful weekend at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice would be a massive understatement.
The world’s best long-course female triathletes assembled en masse on the Cote d’Azur to take on one of THE most challenging courses in swim/bike/run.
We expected high drama, and we got it and then some with the two front runners for glory both out of the race by the time it had reached a few kilometres into the bike leg.
Misery for LCB and Haug
On Saturday Britain’s defending champion Lucy Charles-Barclay was forced to pull out of the race with a muscle injury. That left German great Anne Haug as the clear favourite to add her second title after that 2019 victory in Kona.
But early in Sunday’s bike leg Haug suffered a puncture, and at the worst possible moment. Just 200 metres after leaving transition, Anne was out after her rear tyre suffered a huge puncture which was pretty much unfixable – and mechanics were nowhere to be seen. You can get more details on why, along with Haug’s reaction, here.
That unfortunate series of events left Germany’s Laura Philipp and Britain’s Kat Matthews as the new favourites for victory – and they lived up to that billing in a thrilling race.
Eventually it was Laura who produced a brilliant closing 2:44:59 marathon to claim her first IRONMAN World Championship title. Kat meanwhile had to be content with another terrific silver after she followed home Daniela Ryf in the delayed 2021 running of the race in St George. US star Chelsea Sodaro, such a brilliant winner in Kona in 2022, was a gallant third.
This though, is only part of the story. We have details of every Pro female finisher on an epic day on the French Riviera.
Full finishing order and times
The full finishing order for Nice on Sunday September 22 was as follows:
- 1. Laura Philipp (GER) – 8:45:15
- 2. Kat Matthews (GBR) – 8:53:20
- 3. Chelsea Sodaro (USA) – 9:04:38
- 4. Marjolaine Pierre (FRA) – 9:09:34
- 5. Nikki Bartlett (GBR) – 9:15:47
- 6. Marta Sanchez (ESP) – 9:19:08
- 7. Penny Slater (AUS) – 9:21:47
- 8. Lotte Wilms (NED) – 9:23:28
- 9. Jackie Hering (USA) – 9:25:09
- 10. Hannah Berry (NZL) – 9:32:13
- 11. Danielle Lewis (USA) – 9:33:50
- 12. Jeanne Collonge (FRA) – 9:34:42
- 13. Maja Stage Nielsen (DEN) – 9:36:34
- 14. Merle Brunnee (GER) – 9:38:58
- 15. Gurutze Frades Larralde (ESP) – 9:41:01
- 16. Fenella Langridge (GBR) – 9:42:55
- 17. Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN) – 9:43:10
- 18. Daniela Bleymehl (GER) – 9:45:19
- 19. Katharina Wolff (GER) – 9:46:49
- 20. Julia Skala (GER) – 9:52:48
- 21. Laura Zimmermann (GER) – 9:53:51
- 22. Rebecca Clarke (NZL) – 9:56:06
- 23. Giorgia Priarone (ITA) – 10:00:02
- 24. Kylie Simpson (AUS) – 10:03:50
- 25. Simone Mitchell (GBR) – 10:06:02
- 26. Alice Alberts (USA) – 10:06:18
- 27. Fiona Moriarty (IRL) – 10:08:03
- 28. Erin Schenkels (CAN) – 10:14:08
- 29. Ai Ueda (JPN) – 10:16:25
- 30. Rosie Wild (GBR) – 10:24:52
- 31. Julie Iemmolo (FRA) – 10:26:21
- 32. Barbora Besperat (CZE) – 10:29:49
- 33. Lauren Brandon (USA) – 10:39:23
- 34. Diana Castillo Franco (COL) – 10:49:20
- 35. Bruna Stolf (BRA) – 11:02:34
Triathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
