Nick Thompson and Penny Slater have claimed their maiden IRONMAN wins with impressive performances at the 2026 Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns.
Sunday’s victories have been a long time coming for both athletes, overcoming challenges on and off the course in recent times, with Thompson and Slater showing plenty of emotion as they took their wins.
Thompson, from Perth, took the win in 7:49:48, more than seven minutes clear of Canberra’s Ben Hill, with Jumpei Furuya of Japan finishing third.
“The win means everything, first IRONMAN win being in Australia, in front of the Cairns crowd, which showed me so much support last year and again this year. When you race overseas, you don't really get that and it makes such a huge difference,” said Thompson. “When you're basically in a 5K radius of the finish line, it's like you don't even have to fight any demons, someone everywhere yelling at you, giving you a split. So, super, super special to do it here.”
The 26-year-old returned to Cairns after narrowly missing out on victory last year, and as the top seeded athlete heading into the race there was plenty of pressure on Thompson.
“It's awesome, I was definitely fighting a few demons where I lost the lead last year, especially just being out the front on my own this year so I just had to really concentrate and it was great to get to the line, great atmosphere, I'm really happy,” he said. “It's nice to be out the front and then it forces everyone to be at their best and if they do catch you then they are going to be a bit more tired. So I was pretty comfortable, but I was just really working hard to keep fighting against when I felt good, felt bad, but there’s definitely pressure wearing number one, pressure coming to the race, and I'm really happy that I could actually perform and show up.”
Jumpei Furuya was first out of the water following the 3.8km swim at Palm Cove, with Thompson a minute behind in fourth position. Thompson took the lead within the first 20km of the bike and didn’t look back from there, pushing ahead to open up a more than three-minute lead at the midway point of the ride.Thompson got off the bike almost seven minutes clear of Ben Hill and set about managing the race from there across the marathon, never letting Hill or Furuya have the opportunity to close in on his way to victory.
“I knew my swim was a bit better than previous years, but I really didn't feel good, and I didn't really want to be in the lead when I ended up being in the lead, quite early,” said Thompson. “I knew if I was having a bad day, I just stick to a pretty conservative intensity and if anyone was to bridge up and then just let them set a tempo and save some energy. I was surprised no one got up to me, so I'm pretty happy.”
Penny Slater crossed the finish line in Cairns in 8:59:27, over eight minutes ahead of Skye Wallace with New Zealand’s Rebecca Clarke.
“I’m pretty tired, but I don't think the adrenaline's worn off yet so I'm just so excited, I mean, I feel like this win's been a long time coming, I've had a lot of podiums, a lot of fourth places, so it means so much to win here in Cairns. It's kind of a home race for me, that's what it feels like anyway,” said Slater. “I still can't quite believe it, to be honest, I've wanted to win an Oceania race for pretty much ever and it's crazy and I'm so thankful for everyone who's helped me get here.
“The course is amazing, I don't think there's many places in the world where you get to ride along next to the water, and the run atmosphere is probably the best in the world. I've raced all over the world and that's what keeps me coming back, the crowds are crazy and everyone supports it, the whole town gets around it, so it's amazing.”
Rebecca Clarke showed her swimming prowess once again, exiting the water almost three minutes clear of three-time IRONMAN race winner Regan Hollioake, with Slater coming out seven minutes off the lead.
Hollioake was the early mover on the 180km bike course, erasing Clarke’s lead early on and putting time into the chasing pack, eventually returning to transition over six minutes ahead of Slater, with Clarke third.
Unfortunately for Hollioake disaster struck early on the run as she tore her hamstring and was forced to retire, elevating Slater into the lead. Once in front Slater pushed on, opening up a gap, firstly over Clarke, and then over Wallace as she moved into second in the closing stages of the marathon.
“I had a good start, but the girls I was swimming with were just going a bit hot for me and my plan going into the race was just to race my own race,” said Slater. “So, I just popped off the back and just tried to swim at my own pace and then the bike broke up so much just because it was so windy out there and also because of the rain. I actually felt so good on the bike though, and then the run, I knew that I could probably run the best out of the girls around me. Definitely that run was slower than I would have liked, but win's a win, it's amazing.”
The Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns welcomed more than 3,000 athletes to Far North Queensland, with 2026 marking the 15th anniversary of the iconic event.
For more information on the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns visit: https://www.ironman.com/im-cairns
The Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
- MALE PRO:
- 1 Nick Thompson AUS 7:49:48
- 2 Benjamin Hill AUS +7:04
- 3 Jumpei Furuya JPN +11:44
- 4 Jack Moody NZL +16:33
- 5 Jarrod Osborne AUS +22:34
- FEMALE PRO:
- 1 Penny Slater AUS 8:59:28
- 2 Skye Wallace AUS +8:43
- 3 Rebecca Clarke NZL +12:07
- 4 Chloe Hartnett AUS +21:56
- 5 Danyella Eberle AUS +34:11