With just one month to go until Challenge Family’s flagship event, The Championship on 18 May, anticipation is building as the first contenders announced for The Championship 2025. Over 80 professional athletes are preparing to compete for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles and a share of the €100,000 prize purse. They will be joined by a record field of age group athletes from around the world, each of whom has qualified to earn the right to race for their respective age group titles.
Set in the Olympic training venue, x-bionic® sphere in Šamorín, just outside Bratislava, the battle for Challenge Family’s most coveted title takes place over a 1.9km swim in the Danube Canal, 90km bike through the Slovakian countryside before the 21.1km run, set entirely within the x-bionic sphere and renowned for its challenging mix of grass, sand, cobbles and paved surfaces.
Among the top contenders is Germany’s Frederic Funk, returning for his sixth The Championship. Widely acknowledged as one of the world’s best middle distance athletes, Funk is aiming for the top step after ticking off every other place on the podium, including second in 2024.
But as in previous years, it will not be an easy road to victory. Lining up against him are top British athletes, Kieran Lindars, fresh from third place at Challenge Sir Bani Yas, and Tom Bishop who placed second at last year’s DATEV Challenge Roth. Australian Aaron Royle is also returning to Šamorín. Ranked the world #1 in the swim, he too has previously placed second and will also have his eye on the top place on the podium.
Making his debut at The Championship is young Greek athlete Panagiotis Bitados. 2024 was a clean sweep for him, winning every race he entered, including Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee and Challenge Sanremo. Also in contention is previous The Championship winner, Florian Angert (GER) and Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN), who took out third place in 2024.
In the women’s field, 2022 champion, Sara Pérez Sala returns after a strong performance at the recent Challenge Sir Bani Yas where she took second. She’ll face tough competition from Alanis Siffert (SUI), the 2024 Challenge Family World Bonus winner, who recorded top-two finishes in all nine of her races last season, including victories at Challenge Peguera Mallorca and Challenge Xiamen. Milan Agnew (AUS), who qualified with a win at Challenge Turku, and Hanne de Vet (BEL), who qualified at Challenge Barcelona, will also be making their The Championship debut.
With even more elite athletes still to be announced, The Championship 2025 once again promises a thrilling weekend of world-class triathlon. Watch all the action live at www.challenge-family.live from 8:15am CEST on Sunday 18 May. For further information, visit www.thechampionship.de.
