The inaugural Challenge Sir Bani Yas caused quite a stir when it was announced at the end of last year, quickly earning itself the accolade of the ‘wildest race in triathlon’. Because not only is the race bringing a full distance triathlon to the UAE for the very first time. That swim-bike-run action also happens to take place on a desert island, home to thousands of roaming wildlife – including cheetahs and giraffes.
And looking to take inspiration from the rapid pace of said cheetahs to put in a speedy performance, will be a strong field of male PROs who’ll be competing over the middle distance on Saturday 5 April. Read on to get our take on who the key contenders are in the men’s race and how the racing action could play out this weekend. You can find our PRO women’s predictions here.
Sam Laidlow returns to racing
2023 IRONMAN World Champion Sam Laidlow comes into this race as the headliner. But the star athlete has been open about his ongoing health struggles since Kona last year which have hampered his training through the winter and in the early stages of 2025.
Challenge Sir Bani Yas will be a bit of a litmus test for Laidlow to find out where the body is at – with his sights set on Challenge Roth as his key race this summer ahead of another IRONMAN world title campaign.
With all that in mind, it perhaps would be easy to write Sam off as a contender. But what we know is that Sam’s an athlete who’s got talent and determination in abundance. If he’s feeling good, there could be an element of him being able to race pressure free which could play to his advantage. However, those desert conditions at Challenge Sir Bani Yas are going to be tough, with temperatures looking to be in the region of ~35 degrees Celsius. Racing fast is going to be a hard ask, even for athletes with a full winter of training under their belt. Either way, we’ll be hoping for a positive weekend of racing for Sam after what sounds like a tough few months!
Level up for Lindars
I’m really excited to see how Kieran Lindars goes at Challenge Sir Bani Yas. The latter half of 2024 felt like a bit of a breakthrough for the British athlete, with a game-changing 2nd place at IRONMAN Frankfurt followed by an impressive 8th place in Kona amid a stacked world championship field. That’s got to have provided a massive boost coming into 2025.
His performance in Kona last October, in a race where plenty of other athletes were dropping like flies, has shown that he has the ability to cope in the heat. And he comes into Sir Bani Yas as one of the stronger cyclists and runners on the start list. That could mean we see him coming through the field towards the end of the race to finish strong. A podium is certainly within grasp, and perhaps even the win.
Double header for Schomburg?
Jonas Schomburg will be an interesting athlete to watch this weekend in Sir Bani Yas. Formerly focusing primarily on the short course racing, and competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic games. The German athlete has only competed over the middle distance a handful of times. And he actually made his long distance debut at IRONMAN South Africa this weekend just gone – storming to an impressive 3rd place finish behind Magnus Ditlev and Marten van Riel.
The question will be how: how much has that podium performance taken out of him? And how well can he recover in time for Challenge Sir Bani Yas this weekend? If the body plays ball, he could hit race weekend with a nice boost of fitness – and confidence – from his performance in South Africa. But of course, there’s also the risk that he’ll hit the start line carrying too much fatigue. He’s strong on the run, but with the heat that could be where the wheels come off. Either way, the ambitious schedule shows Schomburg is well and truly getting his teeth into 2025 and he’ll be an interesting athlete to follow this year.
Henri Schoeman’s road to Roth
Another Olympian on the start line is South Africa’s Henri Schoeman. The Rio 2016 Olympic medallist and former Commonwealth Games champion recently announced that he’ll be making his long course debut at Challenge Roth this summer as he turns to new challenges in the sport. And while 2024 saw a few DNFs in the first half of the year. Schoeman finished the year with a 6th place the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, showing he can certainly contend with the best of them over the middle distance.
He comes into the race as one of the fastest swimmers on the start list – unsurprising, given his short course background. I think we can expect to see him out with Schomburg at the front of the swim, with the likes of Lindars and Laidlow hot on his heels. Can he hold off the charge?
One to watch: Ognjen Stojanović
Ognjen Stojanović is my one to watch for this race. The Serbian athlete has an impressive 2024 record sheet. Out of 11 races, he finished on the podium 5 times and only twice was he outside of the top 10. That level of consistency could put him in good stead to really break through in 2025 so watch him closely – if his race goes well, he could certainly feature towards the top of the podium.
Challenge Sir Bani Yas podium picks
Time to dust off the crystal ball and make my pre-race picks, then. While my heart wants a glorious return to the top of the podium for Laidlow – it almost feels unfair after he’s had several months of health struggles to put that expectation out there. I hope we’ll see Sam feeling good and able to race strong, without risking any setbacks in his recovery.
With that in mind, I’m backing Kieran Lindars for the win here. I think the short course stars, Schoeman and Schomburg, will set a fast pace early on – but we’ll see Lindars come through towards the end of the bike. He might have Stojanović and Laidlow hot on his heels, but if Lindars manages himself well in the heat and paces to perfection the win could certainly be his to grab. All eyes on Sir Bani Yas island to see how the action unfolds!
- Kieran Lindars
- Ognjen Stojanović
- Sam Laidlow
Check out our women’s PRO race predictions. And find out more about Challenge Sir Bani Yas in our dedicated race guide!
