A host of new elite athlete contenders have been confirmed for The Championship, Challenge Family’s flagship event in Šamorín, Slovakia, taking place on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Among them is Olympic medallist Jonny Brownlee (GBR), who recently finished second at Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria. Brownlee will be joined on the start line by long-time training partner Richard Varga (SVK), who will retire from professional racing after the event.
“I am really looking forward to race The Championship in Samorin in a few weeks,” said Brownlee. “After a good performance in Challenge Gran Canaria I have finally put together a half distance performance that I am proud of on my third attempt.
“But I believe that I can do better and The Championship is a good chance to test myself against the best in the world.
“However my main reason for racing is to race one last professional race with my good friend and long-time training partner, Richard Varga. Richard has been a massively important person in my career. The friendship and memories we created over our triathlon journey will last a lifetime and I can’t wait to race with him in one more professional race.”
Germany’s Justus Nieschlag and Willem Hirsch have also been confirmed. They join a start list that already includes Frederic Funk (GER), Tom Bishop (GBR), Kieran Lindars (GBR), and Panagiotis Bitados (GRE).
The women’s race also sees new names added to a competitive line-up. Anna Bergsten (SWE), who placed third at The Championship in 2024, returns looking to improve on that result. She will race alongside former winner Sara Pérez Sala (ESP), Challenge Taiwan 2025 champion Alanis Siffert (SUI), and Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN).
More than 90 professional triathletes are expected to compete, with the event again streamed live and free at challenge-family.live. Coverage starts at 08:15 CEST on May 18, with commentary from Belinda Granger.
