Olympic medallists, rising stars and a short-course legend approaching retirement feature among the athletes racing in Kona for the first time on Saturday.

Experience has traditionally been prized at the IRONMAN World Championship. Knowing how to handle Kona’s heat, humidity and winds can be just as important as the form an athlete brings to Hawaii.

But recent history shows that newcomers can win straight away.

Solveig Løvseth claimed the women’s title on her World Championship debut in Kona last year, while Casper Stornes did the same in the men’s race in Nice. Before them, Chrissie Wellington, Chelsea Sodaro and Gustav Iden all won at the first attempt.

There are 20 women and 15 men making their first World Championship appearance in Kona and we’ve chosen to focus on 10 of those (plus one bonus!) – from potential title challengers to athletes fulfilling childhood ambitions…

Julie Derron – Switzerland

Derron’s Kona debut comes a year later than planned.

The Olympic silver medallist qualified for the 2025 race but withdrew just a week beforehand, having struggled with health issues following a bike crash in August. She decided racing would pose too great a long-term risk.

Now she arrives with a compelling combination of short-course pedigree, outstanding running ability and winning form over longer distances.

Victory at IRONMAN Switzerland in July secured her place, while subsequent success at T100 Vancouver and second place behind Taylor Knibb at September’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship reinforced her credentials.

If Derron reaches the marathon within striking distance, she has the running ability to put serious pressure on the established contenders. After last year’s disappointment, few debuts will be more eagerly anticipated.

Paula Findlay – Canada

Findlay could hardly have made a more convincing start to her full-distance career.

The Canadian won IRONMAN Lake Placid in July, qualifying for Kona on her debut with a 2:55:49 marathon and a winning margin of just under four minutes over Marta Sanchez. Her first World Championship appearance will therefore be only her second IRONMAN.

Her strength on the bike gives her a clear potential route into contention, while Lake Placid provided encouraging evidence that she can back it up over 42.2km.

The challenge now is to reproduce that balance against a deeper field and in very different conditions. Findlay brings extensive experience of major middle-distance races, even if her full-distance record is still only one race long.

Daisy Davies – Great Britain

Among the established names stepping up in distance, Davies offers a different story: a rising British athlete whose first three full-distance races have all produced podium finishes.

Her record includes victories at Challenge Almere and IRONMAN South Africa, plus an impressive third place at Challenge Roth this year.

South Africa secured her Kona qualification, with Davies leading out of the swim, posting the fastest bike split and crossing the line in 8:46:30.

Her Roth podium adds further substance to those winning performances and makes her one of the most intriguing newcomers in Hawaii.

Kona represents another substantial step up in depth and difficulty. But Davies has already shown she can compete across the distance, and this debut offers an opportunity to measure her potential against the strongest field of all.

Charlotte McShane – Australia

McShane’s connection with Kona stretches back a quarter of a century.

The Scottish-born Australian watched and supported her dad Frank when he raced the Hawaii IRONMAN in 2001, an experience she credits with having a profound and lasting influence on her own career.

She initially pursued longer-distance racing before focusing on short course, becoming the under-23 world champion in 2013.

Her own full-distance debut finally came at IRONMAN Cairns last year. Afterwards, she wrote: “10th pro female, my longest swim (without stopping!), longest road ride and first marathon. Let’s see where this takes me!”

The answer is now Kona, having secured her qualification at IRONMAN Western Australia.

For McShane, a first professional appearance on the Big Island brings together a new sporting challenge and the childhood experience that helped inspire her journey.

Kaidi Kivioja – Estonia

Kivioja has already broken new ground for Estonian triathlon.

At just 23, she became the first Estonian woman to qualify for an Olympic triathlon when she earned her place at Rio 2016.

A decade later, she is preparing for her Kona debut after a qualification story that neatly connects her with another athlete in this selection.

Kivioja finished 12th at IRONMAN Hamburg, where six women’s Kona places were available. With athletes ahead already qualified – including McShane in 11th – she secured the final spot.

Now the Olympic veteran faces a very different championship challenge.

Her experience of elite racing provides a foundation, but pacing, fuelling and handling Hawaii’s conditions will be crucial as she looks to turn that hard-earned qualification into a strong first appearance.

Marten Van Riel — Belgium

Van Riel is a Kona newcomer with the credentials to contend immediately – although his build-up has been far from straightforward.

Illness hampered his preparations and, by his own admission, he “dug himself into a hole” by racing September’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship when not 100%. His first few days in Hawaii were difficult too, but he says things are now moving in the right direction.

The Belgian qualified with second place behind Kristian Blummenfelt at IRONMAN Texas and subsequently won Lake Placid. He also brings World Championship experience from Nice last year.

Expect Van Riel to be one of the driving forces from the swim onwards. With both the Kona crown and Pro Series title in play, the question is how close he can get to his best after that disrupted preparation.

Jonas Schomburg – Germany

One of triathlon’s most maverick and explosive characters, Schomburg could have a major influence on how this race unfolds.

The German is likely to be among the swimmers looking to make the opening discipline as demanding as possible, before fully committing again on the bike.

But his threat extends beyond those early stages. Having qualified at Texas, he claimed his first IRONMAN victory at Kalmar in August, winning in 7:22:57 with a 2:34:36 marathon.

That performance demonstrated the endurance to complement his short-course speed and aggressive racing instincts.

Schomburg also has a serious chance of winning the Pro Series. His first Kona appearance therefore brings two major opportunities — and plenty of reasons to expect him to race on the front foot.

Vincent Luis – France

Luis’s first Kona appearance could also be his last.

The two-time short-course world champion has indicated that 2026 is likely to be his final season in professional triathlon, giving this debut an added significance as his career approaches its conclusion.

His full-distance results suggest he can make an impact. Fourth at Challenge Roth on his debut last year, he secured his Kona place with another fourth at IRONMAN Texas in April, finishing in 7:25:29.

His swimming makes him a natural athlete to watch from the start, with the potential to help shape the leading group.

The challenge is to turn that early position into a complete performance in Hawaii. For one of the sport’s most accomplished racers, Kona offers a compelling new stage for what could be a farewell appearance.

Pierre Le Corre – France

For Le Corre, Kona has been the race marked on his calendar since the beginning of the year — the central focus of his season.

The Frenchman, fourth at the Paris Olympics, qualified at the first attempt with second place at IRONMAN New Zealand in March.

He led out of the water and ran a 2:36:18 marathon to finish less than two minutes behind Trevor Foley, saying afterwards that he had completed only two weeks of specific IRONMAN training.

That debut offered an enticing glimpse of his potential. Now he gets to test it in the race around which he has built his year.

His swim should give him an opportunity to start among the leaders, while his running makes him dangerous if he can remain in contention through the bike.

Frederic Funk – Germany

Funk’s move into full-distance racing has been a deliberate progression, and Kona provides the biggest test of that decision so far.

He began with top-five finishes at Challenge Roth and IRONMAN Switzerland in 2025, before securing his 2026 World Championship place at Lake Placid.

His coach Dan Lorang has already explained to TRI247 why he believes the longer distance can suit Funk’s strengths.

The German’s cycling makes him an interesting addition to the Kona field, particularly if the bike develops into an aggressive contest. The challenge will be to turn that strength into the best possible overall result.

Funk may have less full-distance experience than many established contenders, but his debut offers another chance to assess how far this next stage of his career could take him.

Honourable mention: Jamie Riddle – South Africa

Riddle also deserves a place on the watch list, with genuine potential to challenge for the top ten on his Kona debut.

One of the youngest athletes in the field, the South African already has a World Championship top-ten finish to his name after placing tenth in Nice last year.

That experience gives him a useful foundation as he tackles Hawaii for the first time. In a field packed with established champions and high-profile newcomers, Riddle could be one of the athletes capable of earning more attention as the day unfolds.

He also looks to be the man bossing the swim WhatsApp group again!