Just two months ago, she skipped Challenge Roth after feeling far off her peak condition. Today, Laura Philipp looks to be back in the form of her life. Fresh off a commanding performance at Ironman Kalmar, the German powerhouse delivered another masterclass to claim a convincing victory at Ironman 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun.
It is hard to overstate Philipp’s dominance on the day, as she proved to be in a league of her own compared to the rest of the field. As expected, she did not dictate the pace in the water – historically her weakest discipline – where Dutch athlete Rani Skrabanja set the early benchmark, exiting the swim first in 26:58. While Skrabanja faded as the race progressed, the top swim time remains a standout stat for her day.
Philipp positioned herself perfectly from the start, drafting off the leader alongside Austria’s Lisa Perterer and Italy’s Luisa Iogna Prat.
Once on the bike, Philipp did not break away immediately. While most of the field was dropped early, Perterer unexpectedly held her wheel and even took turns at the front. However, around the 60-kilometer mark, Philipp dropped the hammer and pulled clear into a solo lead. From there, the gap opened rapidly: by the time she reached T2, she held more than a two-minute cushion over Perterer. Further back, the field was splintered, with third-place Leana Bissig trailing the leader by over seven minutes entering T2.
The concluding half-marathon felt like a formality, as the victory was never in doubt. Philipp remained completely unchallenged on the run, extending her lead with every kilometer to seal a statement victory.
Philipp crossed the line to win the race in 4:13:22, Perterer finished second in 4:18:38 and India Lee finished third in 4:26:52.
