One of the highlights of the IRONMAN Pro Series calendar takes place on Sunday June 1 as Hamburg hosts the IRONMAN European Championships – with the 2024 IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp and runner-up Kat Matthews set to clash once more.

The duo were first and second in Nice in September, with the German getting the better of an absorbing battle before pulling clear late on to win by an incredible eight minutes and five seconds to earn a stunning maiden World Championship victory.

It may not be a two-person race, however, with defending champion Jackie Hering also in attendance in addition to the likes of 2025 IRONMAN South Africa victor Anne Reischmann, 2024 IRONMAN Barcelona runner-up Sara Svensk and 2024 IRONMAN Chattanooga silver medallist Stephanie Clutterbuck.

Philipp v Matthews

The tantalising prospect of a duel between Philipp and Matthews certainly tickles the tastebuds following last September’s World Championship in Nice.

The German produced a sensational marathon split on that day of 2:44:59, over eight minutes faster than Matthews, to claim the world title, but now must contend again with the British star – who has already won a full-distance race in 2025.

Philipp makes he seasonal debut in Kraichgau this weekend over the middle-distance, before heading to Hamburg a week later. It will be interesting to see how the world champion adapts to two races in two weeks. The 38-year-old boasts six IRONMAN race wins in her career including a success in Hamburg in 2022.

Matthews, who claimed IRONMAN Texas victory last month, has already showed her form in 2025 and could have the edge in terms of race fitness. The Brit has five IRONMAN race victories to her name, three in Texas in addition to wins in Florida and the UK over her career.

Not a two-woman race

While all eyes will be on the aforementioned stars, there are several other contenders for the crown in Germany, with American Hering certainly in with a chance.

The 40-year-old took the honours 12 months ago in a time of 8:19:14 – showcasing elite consistency as she recorded top five splits in the swim, bike and run. Her win in 2024 was her first success over the full-distance since an IRONMAN Wisconsin win in 2013.

Hering has podium finishes at both 70.3 St George and 70.3 Oceanside this term, and it will be interesting to see how that translates to the 140.6-mile distance.

IRONMAN South Africa winner Reischmann will also be in the mix following a strong start to the 2025 season. The German has won back-to-back IRONMAN races in Cozumel and South Africa, and has seemed to find her mojo at this distance.

Hamburg will certainly be a yard stick for the 33-year-old to see if she can contend with both Philipp and Matthews.

Sweden’s Svensk, Danielle Lewis of the USA, Els Visser of the Netherlands and Clutterbuck of Great Britain are names who’ll be looking to push for a top five finish.

Pro Series connotations

The 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series consists of 18 races, with the standings taking into account an athlete’s top five race performances (with a maximum of three full-distance races included).

A maximum of 5,000 points can be earned at an IRONMAN race, with 2,500 points on offer for the winner of a 70.3 event. Points are then awarded based on finishing time behind the winner, with one point correlating to one second.

Spain’s Marta Sanchez currently leads the standings on 7,030 points following a second-place finish at IRONMAN South Africa and a fourth-place finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence.

Reischmann (6,833) is second following two races, with Matthews (5,000 from one race) in seventh, Svensk (4,862 from two races) in 12th, Lewis (4,726 from two races) in 13th and Hering (4,621 from two races) in 14th.

With 5,000 points up for grabs, all of the above athletes will be keen to put in strong performances to move up the Pro Series standings.

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