Australia’s Ellie Salthouse and Jake Birtwhistle delivered commanding performances at Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast, storming to victory on the iconic Mooloolaba course and stamping their tickets to the 2026 70.3 World Championship in Nice.
For Salthouse, it was a dream debut on home soil. The Queenslander clocked 4: 05: 10 to claim her 19th 70.3 win, finishing more than five minutes ahead of Sunshine Coast-based Dutch athlete Lotte Wilms, with Penny Slater rounding out the podium.
“I’m feeling happy, I was very pleased with that. I had a few internal goals that I wanted to accomplish, so I got them all, and I’m just really happy to take the overall win,” said Salthouse. “This is as close as it gets to my hometown race. It’s always magical to win with the crowd cheering your name, so it’s really special.”
After exiting the water just behind Wilms, Salthouse quickly seized control on the bike and never looked back. By the run, her advantage was untouchable, allowing