Perth’s Nick Thompson is preparing to take on the top professional triathletes in the world this Sunday, 14 September at the men’s 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France.
The event will bring together more than 50 of the world’s top professional male triathletes to compete for the coveted title of IRONMAN World Champion and a piece of the $375,000 USD professional prize purse, with the winner taking home $125,000 USD.
Thompson earned his spot on the start line by finishing second at the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns in June and currently sits 13th in the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series standings.
“I feel really good. I think I’ve ridden sections of the course here almost ten times. It really suits me on the bike; the swim’s beautiful, warm water, a swimskin [non-wetsuit] swim; and the run is just up and down along the beautiful Promenade des Anglais, so, it’s a great spot for a race,” said Thompson. “It’s a pity that maybe it’s the last year for an IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, but at least I achieved my goal this year, which was to get here for the last one. Now it’s just time to rest and give it a crack in a few days.”
Thompson made his IRONMAN World Championship debut in Kona, Hawai’i last year, where he finished 21st, and took a lot from his first taste of the biggest stage in the sport.
“I definitely learnt that when I do play to my strengths, I can be right up there with some of the big names. But after probably a poor showing in the last section of the race in Kona on the run, I had a bit of reflection and tried to improve on that,” he said. “I think I’ve made some adjustments where I need to, which is mainly the marathon off the bike. Through the year, I’ve only raced three times, but each time I’ve improved on the run. I think I know what to do now.”
The 25-year-old will line up for his fourth race of the season on Sunday, following IRONMAN triathlons in Texas and Cairns, and most recently a third-place finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun in Austria.
“I really did love getting back on the podium after a long run of results without one last year. I think it goes to show that last year, I maybe raced a little bit too much and was just a bit average across the board, whereas this year I’ve only raced three times – in Texas, and then those two podiums in the Pro Series, so I really couldn’t be happier,” he said.
Thompson is looking forward to the challenge of taking on the best male triathletes in the world across the 3.8km swim, 180km ride and 42.2km run when he lines up in Nice on Sunday.
“It’s probably going to be red hot from the gun. There’s been a lot of talk about some athletes coming from the shorter distance background, so I think the pace is just going to be hot from the get-go,” he said. “I think to an extent I can maybe follow a little bit, maybe not so much in the water, but I’m definitely looking forward to the last 50km of the bike when it becomes a bit more level and the fatigue starts to kick in. I think that’s where I’ve improved over the last year.”
Beginning with the Mediterranean Sea swim, athletes taking part in the 2025 Men’s IRONMAN World Championship in Nice will enter the water in the Baie des Anges for a 3.8km ROKA swim before embarking on one of the most iconic bike courses in all of the triathlon world. The 180km ZOOT bike course is technical and challenging but rewarding in its beauty, with athletes taking in rooftop villages on the ascent before they cruise down the “Route de Thorenc” and through the “Clues de Gréolières” on the descent, famous for its stunning feature film backdrop scenery. The flat, four lap 42.2km HOKA run course will take runners up and down the glitzy Promenade des Anglais, giving them the opportunity to soak up the Mediterranean Sea views and famous Chaises Bleues on one side, and the luxury hotels and casinos on the other, while gaining encouragement from the deep crowds lining the course.
The men’s professional race begins at 7:05am CEST / 3:05pm AEST on Sunday 14 September. Live race day coverage will be broadcast for free across multiple platforms for global viewers including proseries.ironman.com, DAZN, and YouTube
Sunday’s IRONMAN World Championship race in Nice will mark the final time the city will host the event, as from 2026 the IRONMAN World Championship will return to its roots of Hawai`i, with Kona exclusively hosting a reimagined event format with men and women racing together on the same day.
For more information visit: ironman.com/races/im-world-
