One week to go until the IM European Championships Hamburg, closer look to the pro field

On Sunday June 1, Hamburg will play host to the Ironman European Championship triathlon for professional women. Top female triathletes will not only be competing for IM European Champion bragging rights, but they will also be racing for a maximum of 5,000 points towards IM Pro Series standings, a piece of the $87,500 USD prize purse, and five qualifying slots to the 2025 Ironman World Championship triathlon in Kailua-Kona. The race marks the eighth stop on the 2025 IM Pro Series circuit, the third IM triathlon, and the third race in Europe. 

The Ironman European Championship for professional men will take place in Frankfurt four weeks later on Sunday 29 June.  

Reigning Ironman European Champion, Jackie Hering will be wearing bib number one. Hering stormed to victory last year in her first IM triathlon since 2015, taking the tape in a time of 08:19:14. Hering finished second in last year’s Ironman Pro Series, and currently sits in tenth place in this year’s standings thanks to already having two IM 70.3’s triathlon podiums under her belt (Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and Ironman 70.3 St George North American Championship). 

Most likely to threaten her crown are some of the fastest racers in Ironman triathlon history; Laura Philipp (DEU) and Kat Matthews (GBR). At the 2022 edition of the race, Philipp recorded the fastest women’s Ironman triathlon time (08:18:20) to take the win, a time which stood until just a month ago when Matthews’ win in Texas set a new Ironman best time of 8:10:34.

Philipp and Matthews are not unfamiliar with competing alongside each other. In the 2024 Ironman World Championship triathlon in Nice, the two were neck and neck for a large chunk of the race and viewers were treated to an epic run battle on the Promenade des Anglais, which eventually saw Philipp breaking off around the seven-mile mark to take the win, and Matthews taking a deserved second place.  

For Philipp, this will be her first race in the Ironman Pro Series, while Matthews, who has made no secret she’s after the ‘perfect Ironman Pro Series score’, took the tape for the third consecutive year at the IM Texas North American Championship triathlon a month ago.

2025 Ironman African Champion, Anne Reischmann (DEU) should also not be counted out. Reischmann currently sits atop of the IM Pro Series standings due to a phenomenal win at the Ironman South Africa African Championship in March, and a solid fifth place finish at IM 70.3 Venice-Jesolo triathlon a month later. 

Danielle Lewis (USA), who comes fresh off a second-place finish at Ironman 70.3 St. George North American Championship triathlon this weekend is also slated to toe the line. After a DNF in Texas, Lewis will undoubtedly be hungry to add to her IM Pro Series scoreboard and improve on her impressive sixth place finish in the series last year.

Making her Ironman triathlon debut will be Norwegian Solveig Løvseth, who has three IM 70.3 triathlon victories to her name, including this year’s Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo triathlon.

Other names likely to play a big part in the dynamics of the race include Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) who came fourth at the 2024 IM World Championship race; fifth place finisher at IM North American Championship Texas, Sara Svensk (SWE); Els Visser (NLD), and more.

The full start list is below (subject to change)