**British triathlon star Kat Matthews is close to a substantial $200,000 bonus following a stellar performance at the IRONMAN World Championship.**
After her impressive showing in Nice, the 33-year-old British athlete is celebrating yet again. For the second time in three years, she secured second place, trailing only Germany’s Laura Philipp in a thrilling race along the French Riviera. Previously, she finished behind Daniela Ryf in the delayed 2021 event held in St. George.
Matthews has additional reasons to celebrate, particularly when examining the latest IRONMAN Pro Series rankings post-race. Currently, she’s positioned to potentially earn a significant $200,000 bonus for finishing at the top of the rankings by the end of the 2024 season. While she’s currently second to American Jackie Hering, a closer look at the rankings indicates she’s a strong contender for the top prize.
Triathlon expert John Levison explains that unless Matthews does not finish the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo on December 14, she’s almost guaranteed to claim the bonus. With no full-distance races left to earn points, Matthews has already completed three races with scores of 5,000, 5,000, and 5,515. Her total score from just four races stands at 17,836, meaning she needs to earn only 999 points at the 70.3 World Championships to surpass Hering’s potential maximum.
Hering can only add points from future 70.3 races, with her best-case scenario bringing her total to around 18,834. Meanwhile, even a modest finish from Matthews in either upcoming race should be sufficient to secure her position, given her strong performances in previous IM events and a solid 70.3 result from Tallinn.
