British triathlon great Jonny Brownlee will head an all-star cast in Slovakia on May 18 for The Championship 2025.
Fresh off his second-place finish at Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria, three-time Olympic medallist Brownlee has confirmed his participation in the Challenge Family’s flagship event, which carries a professional prize purse of €100,000.
The 35-year-old is racing middle-distance events before focusing on the Supertri series, and has already stated that his upcoming season is mostly for enjoyment after “taking it too seriously” over the last couple of years.
‘One last race’ motivates Jonny
But he has an ulterior motive for taking on his latest challenge – the chance to go up against long-time training partner, Slovakian Richard Varga, who is making his final appearance as a professional athlete.
Brownlee said: “I am really looking forward to race The Championship in Samorin in a few weeks. After a good performance in Challenge Gran Canaria I have finally put together a half distance performance that I am proud of on my third attempt.
“But I believe that I can do better and The Championship is a good chance to test myself against the best in the world
Varga and a lasting friendship
“However my main reason for racing is to race one last professional race with my good friend and long-time training partner, Richard Varga. Richard has been a massively important person in my career. He is someone who always puts a smile on your face.
“I have been fortunate to prepare for two Olympic Games and be on two Olympic start lines with Richard. The friendship and memories we created over our triathlon journey will last a lifetime and I can’t wait to race with him in one more professional race!”
Brownlee adds even more depth to a world-class field which already includes Germany’s Justus Nieschlag and Willem Hirsch.
Standout 2024 for Nieschlag
Nieschlag enjoyed a standout 2024 season with several podium finishes, including third place at Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee. Hirsch also brings strong podium credentials across both middle and long-distance events.
Also competing are Frederic Funk (GER), Tom Bishop (GBR), Kieran Lindars (GBR), and rising star Panagiotis Bitados (GRE).
On the women’s side, former champion Sara Pérez Sala (ESP) and recent Challenge Taiwan winner Alanis Siffert (SUI) are now joined by Anna Bergsten (SWE), who will be looking to improve on her third-place finish in 2024 and Denmark’s Katrine Græsbøll Christensen is also confirmed.
Over 90 of the world’s top professional triathletes will take on the 1.9km swim in the Danube Canal, the 90km bike ride on fast, flat roads in typically windy, exposed areas, and the 21km run, which takes place entirely within the x-bionic sphere resort and features than four different surfaces under foot – grass, sand, tarmac and cobbles before finishing in the giant arena.
