Estonia’s Siim-Erik Alamaa and Great Britain’s Sally Potter emerged as the fastest male and female finishers at the 10th edition of IRONMAN Malaysia in Langkawi on Saturday, marking a milestone year for one of Asia’s flagship long-distance triathlon events.
The landmark race drew 1,888 athletes from 66 nations, who took on either the full-distance IRONMAN Malaysia (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run) or the IRONMAN 70.3 Langkawi (1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, 21.1 km run). Under relentless tropical heat, competitors once again proved why Langkawi is known as one of the region’s premier endurance destinations.
Former national cyclist Alamaa conquered the gruelling course in 9:08:39, finishing ahead of Germany’s Jan Seewald (9:20:16) and Australia’s Aiden Cuff (9:27:27). In the women’s field, Potter crossed the line in 10:38:50, followed by France’s Alexandra Vano (11:05:58) and fellow Briton Erin Thomson (11:17:22).
“It’s unbelievable. This was only my second full IRONMAN — my first was in August — so I really didn’t expect to win,” said Alamaa. “The last few weeks were quite tough with training and personal challenges, so I came here just wanting to do my best. To cross the line first is something I’ll need time to process.”
Alamaa added that his victory was part of a larger goal: “I started triathlon with the dream of qualifying for Kona, and I thought Langkawi would be perfect — both to try and to experience similar conditions. The heat and humidity here are no joke. Having survived this, I now know what Kona will feel like.”
He credited his wife Lizzie for her support: “She qualified for Kona before me, and seeing her race there inspired me to give it a shot. Today’s result is as much hers as mine — she’s my support crew, my timekeeper, and my biggest motivation.”
In the women’s category, Potter produced a determined display to claim her first-ever IRONMAN title. “It’s my second IRONMAN this year after Cairns, and I actually decided to come to Langkawi at the last minute. I wanted a break after Cairns, but when I saw this race, I thought, why not? I’m absolutely stoked — I didn’t know how I was going to cope with the heat, but I’m glad I managed to hold on,” said Potter.
“I really suffered at around the 28 km mark on the run. I had to stop and reset, and somehow managed to hang on till the finish. It’s my first IRONMAN win — I was fifth in Cairns earlier this year — so this one feels really special. I’ve done four IRONMAN 70.3 races and finished top five in most of them, including third at the Sunshine Coast last year. It’s amazing to see all the work finally pay off.”
Several public figures were also among the finishers. Former Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, making his second IRONMAN 70.3 Langkawi appearance and his first since 2019, completed the race just under the cut-off mark of eight hours 30 minutes, clocking 8:25:33.
Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, 32, took on the full 226 km IRONMAN Malaysia, finishing in 12:22:18 — a notable improvement from last year’s 13:13:39. He had set himself a target of completing the race in under 13 hours as part of a personal challenge to raise RM1 million for community initiatives in his constituency, a goal he successfully achieved.
The IRONMAN Malaysia continues to attract world-class competitors while symbolising Langkawi’s resilience and appeal as a sports-tourism destination. Revived in 2014 after a hiatus, the race has grown into one of Asia’s most respected fixtures on the IRONMAN calendar.
