Last year’s IRONMAN World Championship third place finisher Laura Philipp appeared to confirm that she will be targeting the title on offer in Nice this season, sharing that she had already been out to check the course.
The German, who is one of 20 women contracted to the T100 Triathlon World Tour, will have to balance the fast and furious 100km race series with plans to earn a maiden World Championship title in the South of France.
The news comes just over a week after 2023 IRONMAN World Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay confirmed that she will not be seeking to defend her title in September, with her focus firmly set on the T100.
“The bike course is the most beautiful”
Whilst it was expected that some T100 athletes would compete at the IRONMAN World Championship in 2024, it was interesting to see Philipp share her intentions so early on in the season.
![Laura Philipp IRONMAN 703 Kraichgau 2023 [Photo credit: IRONMAN Germany]](https://www.tri247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Laura-Philipp-IRONMAN-703-Kraichgau-2023.jpg)
Given the close proximity of the IRONMAN World Championship’s in Nice (September 22) to the T100 event in Ibiza (September 28-29), there was always going to be a tough decision to be made for the top female athletes in September.
For PTO World #5 Philipp, the opportunity to chase an IRONMAN World Championship title after her first podium at the event in Kona last year seems to be too good to pass up.
“The bike course is the most beautiful and challenging”
Having gone out in January to ride the course, Philipp was full of praise for the route, stating that it was as beautiful as it is demanding.
“The bike course is the most beautiful and challenging course i have ever seen at an IM event and definitely demands a higher level of skills than Hawaii.
“T”his is something that excites me and I am extremely motivated to prepare for this challenge and thus become a even better athlete on the bike!”
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