In Nelson Mandela Bay, Daisy Davies and Matthew Marquardt have swept a new edition of IRONMAN South Africa.
Both controlled the race from start to finish, doling out more than $150,000 in prizes and stamping their ticket to Kona.
Davies crushes from the first meter
Daisy Davies arrived in South Africa with her homework done. Bianchi's - the new name under which the BMC Triathlon Team of recent years hides - came from winning Challenge Almere last season. She came out of the water four minutes ahead of Claire Hann and from there, no one saw her.
On the bike, he stepped on the accelerator. In the middle of the 180 km, it was 11 minutes to Daniela Bleymehl, winner of the 2022 edition. By the time he reached T2, the lead was in excess of 15 minutes. With that mattress, Davies managed the marathon without risking it, crossing the finish line in 8:46:30 with a 3:08:11 run.
Katrine Græsbøll Christensen entered second, 11 and a half minutes later and Bleymehl closed the podium in third position.
Marquardt chooses well and earns better
Matthew Marquardt had two options: Texas - where he had to face names like Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden or Casper Stornes - or South Africa. He chose South Africa and got it right. The American medical student arrived with a tight schedule-final exams and a few weeks ago the Cape Epic mountain bike-but he knew how to adapt.
Jamie Riddle, local swimmer, got out of the water first. On the bike, Riddle held the first half, but Marquardt, with the fresh legs of the Cape Epic, started trimming. With 40 km to go, he hunted it. They rolled together for a while until Marquardt attacked and left alone.
He made it to T2 two minutes ahead and extended them in the marathon. He crossed the finish line in 7:42:57, with a run of 2:39:07.
Joe Skipper, who had spent difficult years, returned to the podium with a solid second place. His last appearance in a drawer was in IRONMAN New Zealand, and this comeback confirms that he is back and slotted for Kona. Tristan Olij completed the podium in third position.