AUSTRALIAN Olympic triathlete Natalie van Coevorden has won again over the long-course format, successfully defending her Ironman 70.3 Port Macquarie title.
The 33-year-old fought back on Sunday’s run leg to beat compatriot Emily Watts for her fifth win this year.
After racing over the Olympic distance – 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run – at the Paris Games two years ago, van Coevorden stepped up to long-course racing.
She won the 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run event on Sunday in four hours 16 minutes 40 seconds, beating Watts by half a minute, with fellow Australian Demi Birch completing the podium.
Belgium’s Jelle Geens, the 2024 and ’25 Ironman 70.3 world champion, won on debut at Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast.
It was his first race since finishing third at last month’s 70.3 worlds in France.
Van Coevorden was first out of the water, but Watts – a former pro cyclist – took control and led by nearly four minutes heading into the run.
The defending champion then hunted down Watts and took the lead for good with about 5km left.
“Oh my God, I was fighting some absolute demons out there,” Van Coevorden said.
“Unfortunately, we had some pretty tough weather on the bike and being a quite small build, I just really suffered.
“There were many times where I thought I was going to stop.
“When I heard it was four minutes off the bike, I didn’t know if I could run her down, but the first 10k showed that I could. I just kept fighting.
“It just shows that you have to keep believing in yourself sometimes. It’s amazing to get another win here and defend my title.”
Early men’s leader Josh Ferris crashed out during the bike leg and Geens took control, winning in 3:44:34.
Now living on the Gold Coast, Geens finished more than two minutes up on Kieran Storch, with fellow Australian Mitch Kibby third.
Sunday also featured the Ironman Australia race at Port Macquarie – a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run, which did not have a pro field, with finishers crossing the line until after midnight.
IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie – Professional Men’s Results
Jelle Geens – 3:44:34
Kieran Storch – 3:47:06
Mitch Kibby – 3:49:33
Roland Crantock – 3:49:44
Jarrod Osborne – 3:50:27
Vincent Größer – 3:53:37
John Fothergill – 3:54:44
Monty Dixon – 3:55:20
Jacob Lipari – 3:55:36
Sam Osborne – 3:57:10
IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie – Professional Women’s Results
Natalie Van Coevorden – 4:16:40
Emily Watts – 4:17:12
Demi Birch – 4:25:01
Laura Gillard – 4:27:52
Chloe Hartnett – 4:28:03
Sian Munks – 4:36:07
Emily Donker – 4:41:02
Jenna Horner – 4:44:07
Chino Iwabuchi – 4:44:43
Kate Gillespie-Jones – 4:47:11
By Roger VAUGHAN, AAP
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