Marta Sánchez, fourth in the Pro Series before the 70.3 World Championship in Nice
Marta Sánchez arrives at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice as fourth in the IRONMAN Pro Series 2026, with 12.444 points and still with a fifth result to add.
The Spaniard will face the World Championship on Saturday, September 12, just 552 points behind third place , currently held by Grace Thek with 12.996 points. Ahead of them are Katrine Græsbøll Christensen, second with 13.156, and Laura Philipp, the leader with 14.663.
The situation has a key factor for Marta Sánchez: she only has four results counted . The IRONMAN Pro Series counts the five best results of each triathlete, with a maximum of three IRONMAN-distance races, so the points she earns in Nice can be added to her current total.
Marta Sánchez, fourth after the change of leader in Zell am See
The women's standings changed after IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun . Laura Philipp 's victory allowed the German athlete to climb five positions and take the lead in the Pro Series with 14.663 points.
Marta Sánchez did not compete in Austria, but she remains within the top 4 of the ranking before the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
| Pos | Triathlete | Country | Points | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laura Philipp | GER | 14.663 | 4 |
| 2 | Katrine Græsbøll Christensen | THE | 13.156 | 4 |
| 3 | Grace thek | AUS | 12.996 | 5 |
| 4 | Marta Sanchez | ESP | 12.444 | 4 |
| 5 | Solveig Lovseth | NOR | 12.385 | 3 |
Why Nice could change Marta Sánchez's ranking
The IRONMAN Pro Series is the annual professional IRONMAN ranking in which each triathlete adds up their five best results in selected races of the circuit.
A standard IRONMAN 70.3 race awards up to 2.500 points, but the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship offers 3.000 points to the winner . From there, one point is deducted for every second less than the winning time.
Marta currently has two IRONMAN results and two IRONMAN 70.3 results . Therefore, Nice allows her to add a fifth result without having to discard any of her four current scores.
In the best-case scenario, a victory would raise her score from 12.444 to 15.444 points . This is a mathematical benchmark, as several of her direct rivals will also be competing in Nice and could increase their respective totals.
This is how Marta Sánchez built her 12.444 points
The Spanish athlete has accumulated her points in four Pro Series events, with two podium finishes in IRONMAN distance and two top 6 results in middle distance.
| Discipline | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|
| IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside | 6.ª | 1.584 |
| IRONMAN Texas | 3.ª | 3.803 |
| IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore | 5.ª | 2.284 |
| IRONMAN Lake Placid | 2.ª | 4.773 |
| Total | 12.444 |
His two highest scores came in full distance: 4.773 points for second place in Lake Placid and 3.803 for third place in Texas.
Grace Thek is not listed on the published start list for Nice
The situation of the third-placed rider adds another element of interest. Grace Thek does not appear on the professional start list published for the Nice World Championships , while Marta Sánchez does, with the number F34.
The women's start list for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice does include other direct rivals such as Laura Philipp, Katrine Græsbøll Christensen, Solveig Løvseth, Lisa Perterer and Tamara Jewett.
The list may still change before the race, but with the current situation, the 552 points that separate Marta from third place take on special relevance for the World Championship.
After Nice, there's still Kona to come.
The 70.3 World Championship will be the penultimate points-scoring event of the season. Following that will be the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona on October 10 , with up to 6.000 points available for the winner.
Nice offers Marta Sánchez the opportunity to complete her five results before Kona and arrive at the last major championship of the year firmly in the top positions of the 2026 IRONMAN Pro Series.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
