Cairns, Australia – June 18, 2024 – The Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia Pacific Championships saw an extraordinary display
of athleticism and record-breaking performances as athletes battled perfect conditions. New Zealand's Braden Currie
finished second, behind Australia’s Matt Burdon, with fellow Kiwi Mike Phillips securing third place. All three athletes
shattered the course record, making it a historic day for the event.
Matt Burdon not only claimed first place but also broke the bike course record, while Braden Currie recorded the fastest
run of the day. Despite Currie's impressive run, it wasn't enough to reclaim the top spot. Reflecting on the race,
Currie shared his thoughts:
"Happy enough with the day – it was great to see my body in good form and I felt good overall. I had a really good swim,
got off to a strong start, and managed to gain some ground early on. On the bike, it was consistent riding throughout a
stunning course. During the run, I felt comfortable and believed I could catch Matt in the 2nd half of the marathon.
However, Matt had an outstanding race and managed to run consistently right to the line. It came down to some really
tight racing amongst the top 5-6 guys."
Currie admitted to feeling nervous leading into the race, given his goal to earn points in the IRONMAN Pro Series and
secure a Kona slot for later in the year. Once the race began, however, he found his rhythm and performed confidently.
"This race is a really good base to work from," Currie said. "I still raced conservatively and pulled off a good result.
It's nice to have that under the belt and if I can build into the year, we can look forward to good results when it
counts. During the run, I was conserving a bit. I needed Matt to have a breakdown for me to catch him, but I didn't want
to completely turn myself inside out as Kona qualification was my number 1 goal. Still, it was a solid run time that I
know I can build from throughout the season.”
Currie was gaining ten seconds per kilometer on Matt for the first 30 kilometers of the run before maintaining a steady
pace to the finish. The race was fast overall and with this performance, Currie has secured his Kona slot and now ranks
sixth in the Ironman Pro Series standings after just two races. Given that many athletes ahead of him have completed
more than two races, Currie is optimistic about his progress with the Ironman Lake Placid next on July 21.