Wonderful pro field prepares for Ironman South Africa, Magnus Ditlev and Marta Sanches biggest stars

In just over two weeks’ time on Sunday 30 March, 70 of the world’s top professional triathletes will converge in Nelson Mandela Bay for the very first Ironman Pro Series race on the African continent. The Ironman South Africa African Championship will offer professional athletes a total prize purse of USD $175,000, with the male and female winner each enjoying a USD $28,000 pay day as well as 5,000 IM Pro Series points. 

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Ironman South Africa event will be the first full distance IM triathlon of the 2025 Pro Series and doubles up as the Ironman African Championship race, meaning athletes will also have a regional title to race for. Five qualifying slots per gender will also be available for the 2025 IM World Championship triathlon in Nice (men’s race) and Kona (women’s race).   

As the reigning champion of Ironman South Africa women’s professional race, Marta Sanchez (ESP) will be wearing bib number one. Sanchez enjoyed her maiden IM triathlon victory at the 2024 edition of the race, where she clocked an impressive time of 9:15:36. Setting the scene for a phenomenal race season, Sanchez went on to scoop up victories at the IM Calella-Barcelona and IM 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship Western Australia triathlons, as well as an impressive sixth place finish at the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Nice. Sanchez will no doubt be hoping her South African season opener will yet again set her up for great success in 2025.  

Also starting their season in South Africa will be Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK), whose strong and consistent racing in 2024 saw her finish fifth in last year’s Ironman Pro Series, with her best performance coming at the IM Hamburg European Championship race where she came second. Els Visser (NLD), who came seventh in the IM Pro Series last year, will also be hoping an early season victory will put her in the mix for an even higher finish this year.  

Locals will pin their hopes on Magda Nieuwoudt (ZAF), who will be lining up for her home race for the fourth time and hoping to improve on her previous best result of third place back in 2022. Nieuwoudt also has two IM 70.3 podiums under her belt at the IM 70.3 Mossel Bay triathlons in 2023 and 2022.  

Other female professional triathletes slated to race include Ruth Astle (GBR), Anne Reischmann (DEU), Anna Bergsten (SWE) who is competing in her first IM triathlon, Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DNK), and more. 

In the Ironman South Africa African Championship men’s race, last year’s winner Rasmus Svenningson (SWE) will return to defend his title. The Swede’s excellent bike form saw him clock a head-turning 4:14:35 bike split, resulting in a finish time of 8:03:11.  

Perhaps the biggest threat for the 2025 men’s title however will be Ironman World Championship runner-up and Danish powerhouse Magnus Ditlev. Ditlev has made no secret of the fact that his main goal for the year is to win the IM World Championship triathlon and Ditlev has also decided to throw himself all in on the Ironman Pro Series in 2025. With lofty ambitions for the year set, the Dane will be looking for an early season confidence booster in South Africa.  

2023 Ironman African Champion and last year’s IM World Championship fourth place finisher Leon Chevalier (FRA) will also pose a significant threat in the men’s race. With the undulating bike course suiting Chevalier’s strengths, expect the Frenchman to play a big part in the dynamics of the race.  

Middle-distance specialist Marten Van Riel (BEL) will try his luck again over the full distance after an unfortunate crash on the bike while leading the Ironman Cozumel triathlon back in November resulted in a seventh place finish. In just his second IM triathlon attempt, Van Riel will be desperate to earn one of the five slots available in South Africa to secure his place on the 2025 Ironman World Championship start line in Nice, France.  

Hoping that his home advantage will reign superior over experience will be local Olympian Jamie Riddle. Riddle, who started out at the Ironkids South Africa event, will now be making his IM triathlon debut in the same city. At just 24 years of age, Riddle already has an Olympic Games on his list of bragging rights, as well as a World Triathlon African Championship title. He raced his first two Ironman 70.3 triathlons in Australia last year, posting a DNF in Melbourne before quickly putting his lack of experience at the distance to bed at the IM 70.3 Western Australia triathlon, finishing second against a strong international field.  All eyes will be on the young South African in Nelson Mandela Bay as he looks to make his mark on the full distance, and hoping a successful debut race in his hometown will once again land him on the podium. 

Also on the hunt for a victory on home soil will be Bradley Weiss (ZAF). Weiss finished seventh in the IM Pro Series last year and has raced the Ironman South Africa African Championship triathlon three times before, with his best position being second in 2022 and 2023.  

Another athlete hoping to get his 2025 IM Pro Series campaign off to a flyer is Matt Hanson (USA), who led the 2024 series for most of the year before eventually fading to finish in fifth following the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlons.  

Other notable starters include Mathias Lyngsø Petersen (DEN) who finished eighth in the IM Pro Series last year, and 2024 IM Asia-Pacific Champion Matt Burton (AUS), amongst others.  

Below are the professional start lists (subject to change):