Max Studer and Nicole Van Der Kaay have claimed victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming, with both athletes winning on their IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon debut on Sunday.
Studer and Van Der Kaay were the standout performers as professional IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon racing returned to mainland China for the first time since 2019.
Switzerland’s Studer took the tape in the men’s race in 3:38:03, with Van Der Kaay from New Zealand winning the women’s title in 4:06:10.
In the men’s race Studer crossed the line almost six minutes clear of Australia’s Nicholas Free, with American Justin Metzler rounding out the podium.
China’s Fan Junjie was first out of the water following the 1.9km lake swim at Bright Tian Yuan, ahead of Great Britain’s Ollie Turner and Studer. Studer hit the lead by the halfway mark of the bike leg, then going on to swap positions with Metzler, Free and Turner multiple times as they returned to transition. Studer came into his own on the run, getting in front early and never looking back, extending his lead throughout the half marathon on his way to his first IRONMAN 70.3 professional win.
“It was a great race, I had a good swim, we came out with Fan, the Chinese national athlete who is a great swimmer and with Ollie Turner,” said Studer. “Ollie and I could push hard at the beginning of the bike and got away but after about 40k we got caught but then there was a group of four riding together, sometimes really fast, sometimes a little bit easier but I think everyone wanted to stay together until the run and for me I was happy to stay in the group so I could control my good running fitness.”
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games representative is still getting used to the longer distance of IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon racing, with the extra distance on the bike course to what he’s used to providing some challenges.
“It was actually a bit hard because the course was really flat and you could stay in the aero bars for a long time and I’m getting more and more used to the time trial bike but sometimes I had to move and stretch out a little bit, I was not so used to staying in the bars the whole time pushing the watts but it worked out great and I’m happy with today’s performance,” he said “It was getting quite warm on the run course, the temperature was rising and rising but with a lot of aid stations and I was able to quickly establish a good lead so I could manage a little bit of a gap.”
Studer enjoyed the finish line experience as he took his first IRONMAN 70.3 race win.
“The finish line was amazing, I really enjoyed it, I also had the time to quickly celebrate with the crowd, it was a great moment for me, I’m really happy, it was a great experience,” said Studer.
Australia’s Nicholas Free overcame a tough swim to fight his way onto the podium.
“It was certainly tough, I had a terrible swim but that first lap of the bike was some of the best riding that I’ve done to finally catch the front boys, but then I was a bit cooked sitting on the back of them for the next odd 30k. Then on the run I just knew as soon as I built a bit of a lead in second place it would just be a game of holding on and I’m pretty happy to come to China and come away with second place,” he said.
Kiwi Nicole Van Der Kaay was dominant from start to finish in the women’s race, taking the win over Switzerland’s Nina Derron by more than seven minutes, with Australia’s Cassie Heaslip a further 11 minutes behind in third.
Van Der Kaay, who represented New Zealand at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, came out of the water more than a minute and a half ahead of China’s Wang Siyu and never looked back. By the halfway mark of the bike Van Der Kaay was more three minutes ahead of Derron, extending that lead to over five minutes by the end of the bike leg.
Once onto the run Van Der Kaay controlled her pace well, keeping a steady gap over Derron as she went on to victory.
“I can’t ask for a better debut here in Chongming, I’m really happy,” said Van Der Kaay. “The course was beautiful, the swim was nice and flat, the bike was pretty flat and the wind only picked up at the end so it was a super fast bike and then the run was gorgeous throughout the tress and stuff, it just keeps you going.
“It’s quite far, I was counting down the kilometres and the time and I was thinking I’d be finished by now in some of my other races but it was really fun and I really loved the challenge, I have my coach to thank for getting me to the finish line,” she said.
Nina Derron has spent the last three months training and racing in China and enjoyed her race experience as professional IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon racing returned to mainland China.
“It was a tough race, it was pretty much a time trial by myself for those four hours so it was really important to stay focused and keep pushing, but I felt pretty good on the bike, I just tried to ride my race and push hard and then I was happy to feel pretty good on the run as well so I’ve been working on that, I’m happy I could put it into practice today,” said Derron,.
IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming returned to the calendar for the first time in five years, with the 2025 event the third time it had been held on Chongming Island in Shanghai. Chongming Island is now a world-renowned ecological island, with the swim leg held in a lake at Bright Tian Yuan, before athletes headed onto the bike which will saw them cycle along the Beiyan Highway on the southern side of Bright Tian Yuan. The run course took place around the lake within Bright Tian Yuan, passing through the countryside.
IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming
Professional Men’s Results
1 – Max Studer – CHE – 3:38:03
2 – Nicholas Free – AUS – 3:43:48
3 – Justin Metzler – USA – 3:44:28
4 – Ollie Turner – GBR – 3:47:28
5 – Caleb Noble – AUS – 3:50:19
6 – Garrett Mayeaux – USA – 3:51:31
7 – Simon Shi – USA – 3:56:08
8 – Aichlinn O’Reilly – IRL – 3:56:52
9 – Fan Junjie – CHN – 3:57:05
10 – Brett Clifford – NZL – 4:00:08
Professional Women’s Results
1 – Niole Van Der Kaay – NZL – 4:06:10
2 – Nina Derron – CHE – 4:13:17
3 – Cassandra Heaslip – AUS – 4:24:46
4 – Lauren Humer – 4:27:29
5 – Wang Siyu – 4:54:49