Barnaby ITA Sanchez ESP Claim 70.3 Western Australia Asia Pac Champ Titles

Sunday 01 December 2024
Gregory Barnaby (ITA) and Marta Sanchez (ESP) have claimed victory in the men’s and women’s professional races at the IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship with both athletes impressing on their way to the top step of the podium in the penultimate race in the IRONMAN Pro Series. Barnaby’s win in Busselton has resulted in a seismic shift in the race for the inaugural men’s IRONMAN Pro Series title, with the Italian jumping four places to the top of the standings with just one race to go.
 
Both Barnaby and Sanchez secured maximum IRONMAN Pro Series points of 2,500 and each took home $12,000 USD for their wins. 
 
Barnaby took the win in 3:37:35 while Sanchez was victorious in 4:06:38, with both winning on their first visits to the iconic Western Australian event.
 
Barnaby finished two minutes clear of South Africa’s Jamie Riddle, with American Marc Dubrick rounding out the podium.
 
“Amazing, I can’t quite believe it, it’s my first IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon win, it feels amazing,” said Barnaby. “I knew it was going to be a really, really hard day, there were fast swimmers, I tried to stay at the front and on the bike we had Robert Kallin and Kristian Høgenhaug, two of the best IRONMAN cyclists, I knew I had to try and stay at the front.”
 
Barnaby’s result is even more important in the context of the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series, with his 2,500 points moving him into the Series lead with one race remaining at the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand in a fortnight.
 
“That was my goal for today, to stay at the front of the race but to get the win is amazing, it takes a bit of pressure off myself because I needed a really good score, I think that has probably secured my podium position in the IRONMAN Pro Series and now I can just go to Taupo to try and perform at my best like I always do and hopefully have a shot for the win,” he said.
 
Sanchez claimed the women’s win by just over a minute from Sweden’s Anna Bergsten, with Australian-based Dutch athlete Lotte Wilms just behind in third place.
 
“I couldn’t imagine a better race, the target was to qualify for next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, my home, so to take the win as well is something beyond words,” said Sanchez. “It was a very good race for me, I was really focused all of the time, my mind was really into the race, I’ve been racing a lot of IRONMAN distance so this felt quite short, so I just kept that focus until the end.”
 
Sanchez headed to Western Australia off the back of a number of strong performances, including a sixth at the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in France in September and a win at IRONMAN Calella-Barcelona last month.
 
“This year I don’t have words for it, I’m just really happy and I’m just trying to improve every year and let’s just see how next year goes,” she said. “This race gives me a lot of confidence, I’ve been training for the last block at altitude in Kenya so this is quite a good result.
 
“I expected it to be quite hot but for me it was the perfect weather, the water was a bit choppy but I really enjoyed it and then the bike was really fast. I have my Mum here and this week I have been involved with the local community so I heard my name all throughout the run which was a motivation. It was incredible to arrive to the finish line and have my closest friends and family there,” said Sanchez.
 
Top Five Female Professional Results
 
Place Name Swim Bike Run Total Time Pro Series Points Event Prize Money
1 Marta Sanchez (ESP) 26:39 2:12:14 1:23:00 4:06:38 2,500 $12,000
2 Anna Bergsten (SWE) 31:59 2:10:24 1:20:30 4:07:48 2,430 $7,000
3 Lotte Wilms (NLD) 26:17 2:12:33 1:24:23 4:08:03 2,415 $4,250
4 Richelle Hill (AUS) 26:47 2:16:39 1:21:31 4:09:10 2,348 $3,500
5 Grace Thek (AUS) 28:43 2:15:15 1:20:31 4:09:22 2,336 $2,750
 
Top Five Male Professional Results
 
Place Name (Country) Swim Bike Run Total Time Pro Series Points Event Prize Money
1 Gregory Barnaby (ITA) 24:31 1:57:10 1:12:29 3:37:35 2,500 $12,000
2 Jamie Riddle (ZAF) 24:25 1:57:08 1:14:22 3:39:35 2,380 $7,000
3 Marc Dubrick (USA) 24:23 1:57:35 1:14:17 3:39:51 2,364 $4,250
4 Robert Kallin (SWE) 25:34 1:55:38 1:16:20 3:41:31 2,264 $3,500
5 Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) 25:12 2:01:17 1:12:23 3:42:08 2,227 $2,750
 
The 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship, part of the IRONMAN Pro Series, saw more than 50 professional athletes toe the start line. The event offered a professional prize purse of $75,000 USD and four female professional and four male professional qualifying slots to the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain.
 
Race Notes
  • Sunday’s event was the first time that a professional race had been held as a part of IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia
  • Barnaby’s 2,500 IRONMAN Pro Series points for the win has given him the overall lead in the men’s championship heading into the final round in New Zealand
  • Kristian Høgenhaug (DNK) has moved into third in the men’s IRONMAN Pro Series standings following his 2,181 points in Busselton
  • Lotte Wilms (NLD) now sits fourth in the women’s IRONMAN Pro Series standings and will be looking for a strong result at the final event to solidify her spot towards the front of the field
  • Daniela Bleymehl (DEU), Hannah Berry (NZL) and Els Visser (NED) all made moves up the leaderboard in the women’s top 10 rankings
  • The biggest mover in the women’s IRONMAN Pro Series field was Grace Alexander who jumped 16 positions with her 2,171 points and is now 27th overall.
  • Marc Dubrick (USA) had the fastest professional men’s swim of the day with a 24:23, with Lotte Wilms (NLD) the fastest professional female with a 26:17
  • Sweden’s Anna Bergsten set the fastest time in the women’s field on the 90km bike course with a 2:10:24, while Høgenhaug was the fastest male athlete with a 1:55:33
  • Jarrod Osborne (AUS) was the fastest on the run in Busselton, covering the 21.1km in 1:10:22, following his win at IRONMAN 70.3 Melbourne two weeks ago, Daniela Kleiser (DEU) was the quickest female with a 1:17:56
  • IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia was also the Asia-Pacific Championship with Barnaby and Sanchez claiming the regional titles
 
Full results for the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship can be found at www.ironman.com/im703-western-australia-results. For additional event information, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-western-australia.
 
IRONMAN Pro Series Standings
The IRONMAN Pro Series™ is a year-long performance-based triathlon race series that will see professional triathletes earn points at 20 select races in 19 locations globally. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters™ with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. How it works can be found here.
 
Victories for Sanchez and Barnaby ensured both athletes walked away with the maximum IRONMAN Pro Series points available for an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon of 2,500. Sanchez now sits 23rd in the overall IRONMAN Pro Series standings, while Barnaby has taken the overall lead in the men’s series. Athletes finishing behind the race winner saw their points diminish with every second that ticked off behind the race winner.
 
IRONMAN Pro Series Overall Standings – Top Five Females (After 18 events)
 
Rank Name (Country) Total IRONMAN Pro series Points (Max Top 5 Events) Total Eligible Races Scored Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored
1 Jackie Hering (USA) 18,093 5 3 2
2 Kat Matthews (GBR) 17,836 4 3 1
3 Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK) 15,999 5 3 2
4 Lotte Wilms (NLD) 15,703 4 3 1
5 Danielle Lewis (USA) 15,416 5 3 2
 
IRONMAN Pro Series Overall Standings – Top Five Males (After 18 events)
 
Rank Name (Country) Total IRONMAN Pro series Points (Max Top 5 Events) Total Eligible Races Scored Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored
1 Gregory Barnaby (ITA) 19,060 5 3 2
2 Patrick Lange (DEU) 18,623 5 3 2
3 Kristian Høgenhaug (DNK) 18,472 5 3 2
4 Matt Hanson (USA) 17,853 5 3 2
5 Bradley Weiss (ZAF) 17,350 5 3 2
 
 
Full IRONMAN Pro Series standings can be found at https://proseries.ironman.com/   
 
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Event Prize Money
In addition to the IRONMAN Pro Series’ $1.7M year-end bonus prize pool, there is an event pro prize purse payout of $2,575,000, distributed across IRONMAN Pro Series events.
 
Top Five Female Prize Money Earned (After 18 events)
Rank Name Country IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Prize Money Total Prize Money
USD
1 Laura Philipp DEU 0 $130,000
2 Kat Matthews GBR 0 $118,000
3 Jackie Hering USA 0 $60,750
4 Hannah Berry NZL $2,000 $46,500
5 Chelsea Sodaro USA 0 $45,000
 
Top Five Male Prize Money Earned (After 18 events)
Rank Name Country IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Prize Money Total Prize Money
USD
1 Patrick Lange DEU 0 $156,000
2 Magnus Ditlev DNK 0 $65,000
3 Gregory Barnaby TA $12,000 $47,250
4 Rudy Von Berg USA 0 $45,000
5 Matt Hanson USA 0 $32,500
 
 
Next Events Coming Up
The 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series heads to New Zealand for the final round, with the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to be held on December 14 and 15.
 
For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit proseries.ironman.com.
IRONMAN Triathlon (Photo Korupt Vision)


Coming Triathlon Events View all

eagleXman

Assergi, Italy

TriBourne 226

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Kaike triathlon

Yonago, Tottori, Japan

Outlaw Triathlon

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Wild Siberia Xtreme

Lake Cheybek-Kohl, Siberia, Russian Federation

Starvation Extreme

Starvation Reservoir, Utah, United States

Norseman Xtreme

Geilo, Norway

Ostseeman

Glucksburg, Germany

Slovakman 226

Pieštany, Slovakia

Greatman Kornik

Kornik, Poland

Ironman Lake Placid

Lake Placid, United States

Ironman Leeds

Leeds, United Kingdom

Ironman Canada Ottawa

Ottowa, Canada

Ironman Kalmar Sweden

Kalmar, Sweden

Ironman Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark

Ironman Tallinn

Tallinn, Estonia

Ironman Switzerland

Thun, Switzerland

Ironman Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPS MEN

Nice, France

Ironman Japan South Hokkaido

Hokkaido, Japan

TRI Boulder

Boulder, CO, United States

Castle to Coast

Windsor to Brighton, United Kingdom

Sourdough Triathlon

Chatanika, Alaska, United States

Timisoara Triathlon

Timisoara, Romania

The Gauntlet Belvoir Castle Triathlon

Belvoir Castle, United Kingdom

Trumer Triathlon

Obertrum am See, Austria

Honeymoon Half Gravel Tri

Honeymoon Bay BC, Canada

TriBourne 113

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Garmin Tri Tour Goldap

Goldap, Poland

Route 66 Half

Springfield, IL, United States

70.3 Ecuador

Manta, Ecuador

70.3 Oregon

Salem OR, United States

70.3 Ohio

Sandusky, United States

70.3 Boise

Boise Idaho, United States

70.3 Maine

Augusta, United States

70.3 Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

70.3 Krakow

Kraków, Poland

70.3 Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

70.3 Lapu Lapu

Cebu, Philippines

70.3 Hradec Kralove

Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Triathlon News & Media Blogs View all

IRONMAN Lake Placid Pro Series Start List

IRONMAN Lake Placid Pro Series Start List

Friday 18 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

On Sunday, July 20, the IRONMAN® Pro Series™ returns to New York’s Adirondack Mountains when over 80 of the world’s top professional triathletes toe the start line at the iconic Athletic Brewing IRONMAN® Lake Placid triathlon. The event will offer a maximum of 5,000 points towards IRONMAN® Pro Series standings, a $125,000 USD event total pro prize purse, and four qualifying slots for each gender to the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship® triathlon in Nice, France (men’s race) and Kona, Hawai`i (wom more

70.3 Ecuador Pro Start List

70.3 Ecuador Pro Start List

Friday 18 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

Welcome to a very special edition! In 2025, we celebrate 10 years of history, dedication, and passion—a decade filled with emotions, con- quered challenges, and thousands of athletes crossing a finish line that has become a symbol of pride for the entire region. more

Little Elm, Texas to Host New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in 2026

Little Elm, Texas to Host New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in 2026

Monday 14 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

IRONMAN®, the global leader in long-distance triathlon, announced today that it will host the new IRONMAN® 70.3® Dallas-Little Elm triathlon in 2026. The new event is scheduled to make its debut on Sunday, March 15, 2026, beginning at Little Elm Park and traversing through the town of Little Elm and the North Texas countryside. General registration for the new event opens on July 23, 2025, more

Julie Derron Wins IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz 2025

Julie Derron Wins IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz 2025

Monday 14 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

The 2025 IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz, held on Sunday, July 13th in the Basque Country of Spain, saw a commanding victory in the women's professional race and some fierce competition in the age-group categories. more

Kat Matthews, Harry Palmer Crowned IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Champions

Kat Matthews, Harry Palmer Crowned IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Champions

Sunday 13 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

The South Coast of Wales was the sunny setting for this weekend’s race, as the IRONMAN Pro Series™ landed in the UK for the first time ever. Harry Palmer of Great Britain retained his IRONMAN® 70.3® Swansea title, while Kat Matthews claimed her second IRONMAN Pro Series win of the season. more

Facebook


YouTube


Sign up for FREE NEWSLETTER:

We will never share your email address or spam you.