Sam Laidlow, the 2023 IRONMAN World Champion and one of the sport’s biggest stars, has confirmed he will race IRONMAN Western Australia on Sunday 7 December, his first-ever race on Australian soil.
The race doubles up as the Asia-Pacific Championship, with four slots per gender to the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona and a $150,000 USD pro prize purse.
After a frustrating first half of the year due to injury and illness, Laidlow has turned things around in spectacular style and heads to Western Australia off the back of dominant wins at Challenge Roth and IRONMAN Leeds, and then a fifth-place finish at the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France.
Setting up 2026 campaign
The 26-year-old Frenchman says he is targeting the race in Busselton as a strategic step in his 2026 season build-up, with early Kona qualification and a strong finish to the year top of mind.
He said: “The main goals for IRONMAN Western Australia are mostly to validate my slot early for Kona next year and also the thinking behind it was because I had a bit of a rough start of the year, that when I did finally get going I felt like I could probably carry on a little bit and do a little bit more – so I think it’s a good fit. Also, with my girlfriend being Australian, it means that then I can have a bit of an off season down under.”
Though not putting too much pressure on the race in Busselton, Laidlow is hoping to build on his mid-season momentum with a personal best marathon performance.
He added: “I’m not putting too much pressure on my goals, I just want to have a better race than I’ve had so far this season which I believe is possible. I’m always seeking progress and even this year, although the World Championship was probably my worst race of the year, both Roth and Leeds proved some really solid performances so a step in the right direction and hopefully I can have a PB marathon run [at IRONMAN Western Australia] – that would be a good personal goal of mine.”
Unbeefable!
The race will also see Laidlow go head-to-head with rising Australian star Nick Thompson, who came seventh in Nice, on his home turf.
And it’s a match-up that Sam is clearly relishing: “Nick actually came and trained with me before the World Champs and we joked about me beating him on his home turf. Nick’s a great guy and I would love to create some beef between me and him, but it’s almost impossible. If there’s one guy that’s unbeefable, if that’s the word, it’s probably Nick. He’s such a genuine guy, it’s hardly surprising that he has such a good following and that people like him so much.
“I think he’s a great ambassador for Australian long-distance triathlon and also really promising. I think he’s really strong across the board, super strong cyclist and I think his run will slowly get faster and faster. I just really admire his whole mentality about the sport. I don’t feel like he’s putting too much pressure on himself, and I feel like he’s working very hard,” said Laidlow.
“But that doesn’t mean I will let him beat me whatsoever. I’m sure there’ll be quite a few kilometres shared, just like at the World Champs, and hopefully this time he can take a turn out there!”
Marathon target
Laidlow is also looking forward to experiencing the unique atmosphere of Busselton and connecting with the passionate local triathlon community.
“I’ve raced over the world, but not in Australia yet so I’m looking forward to it. It’s also not a part of Australia that I’ve been to before,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting, and I think what will make the race so cool there is the fans. I really feel like they’re very welcoming and they get me and what I’m all about.”
After a big season, Laidlow is approaching IRONMAN Western Australia with a mindset focused on growth and enjoyment.
“Mentally and physically, I feel good. I think it took me a little while to get over the World Champs. Obviously, I won Challenge Roth and won IRONMAN Leeds and then in my head, I actually kind of convinced myself that maybe I could win the World Championship. So coming fifth was difficult, I won’t lie. I think it took me three weeks to really absorb that, and I needed some time off. But now I’ve got back into the swing of things and I’m just excited,” he explained.
Laidlow’s quickest full-distance marathon to date came this year at Challenge Roth with a 2:37 and he added: “I just want to keep on progressing. If I run a 2:35 [marathon] and come second, that’s a step in the right direction for me. For me now, it’s all eyes on Kona next year and making sure I deliver then, so I just want to see progress between now and then and finish the year on a high.”
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