Defending champion Laura Philipp has made the difficult decision to withdraw from this year’s Challenge Roth on 5 July.

The German star, who won the IRONMAN World Championship in 2024, had been set for another epic battle with Britain’s Kat Matthews, with lots of speculation in the build up as to whether we could see the eight-hour barrier broken for a women’s full-distance race.

Philipp made a belated start to her season with third place at IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence in May following a spell in hospital because of stomach and back pain.

She followed that up with a fast-finishing second place at IRONMAN Hamburg to Solveig Løvseth, the woman who succeeded her as IRONMAN World Champion.

Laura Philipp’s statement in full

But today Philipp has revealed that she won’t now line up in Roth, explaining in a translated Instagram post: “It is incredibly difficult for me to write these words.

“After many discussions, careful consideration and an honest assessment of my current health with my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from Challenge Roth.

“Anyone who knows me understands how much this race means to me. Roth is a very special place for me. It was here that I celebrated one of the greatest victories of my career last year. As the defending champion, there is nothing I would have loved more than to be back on the start line this year and fighting for another win.

“The past few weeks have taken a greater toll than I wanted to admit for a long time. After my stay in hospital, I returned to racing early because I wanted to secure qualification for the World Championship races. But after the races in Aix and Hamburg, my body made it clear that it is not yet where it needs to be for me to compete over another long-distance race at the level I expect of myself.

‘Health should always come first’

“Over the past few weeks, I have increasingly felt as though I have only been holding my form together with temporary fixes. Trying to cover it with yet another sticking plaster would be neither responsible nor sustainable – not for my health, not for my long-term development, and not for the rest of my season.

“That is why I have chosen my health.

“This decision is anything but easy. Quite the opposite – it hurts. But sometimes strength is not about always pushing on. Sometimes it means consciously letting go of something you desperately want.

“As a professional athlete, I also have a responsibility to set an example. I want to show that health should always come first, even when big goals, expectations and emotions are pulling you in another direction.

“I know many people were looking forward to seeing me race in Roth, and I’m truly sorry to disappoint you. At the same time, I hope you can understand my decision.

“I will still be coming to Roth. I’m looking forward to being there, experiencing the incredible atmosphere, meeting many of you, and cheering on the athletes on race day.

“See you in Roth!“

‘You are a true champion’

Kat Matthews was one of the first to wish Laura well, posting: “Really sorry to hear Laura. Sounds like a very tough but brave decision. I look forward to racing in Kona 🙏”

And Challenge Roth responded by saying: “We are incredibly sorry, dear @laura_philipp_tri that you won’t be able to race at DATEV Challenge Roth 2026.

“We know how much you were looking forward to this race and how much Roth means to you.

“Health always comes first, and we sincerely hope you’ll make a full recovery very soon.

“We also know how much this community means to you, which makes us even more grateful that you’ll still be coming to Roth next week. It truly means a lot to us.

“You are a true champion 💔❤️”