In the men’s elite category, Yevgeny Tikhonin claimed a convincing victory, completing the course in 3 hours 49 minutes and 36 seconds. He finished ahead of reigning champion from Australia Jed Radbone, who recorded a time of 3 hours 57 minutes and 29 seconds.

Another representative of Kyrgyzstan, athlete and coach Ilya Kosov, took a bronze medal with a result of 4 hours 3 minutes and 49 seconds.

For 28-year-old Tikhonin, the victory marked his third IRONMAN 70.3 title in his career and his second win of the 2026 season after triumphing at the event in South Africa, the race organizers reported.

In the women’s competition, Kyrgyz athlete Maria Kurchenko won a gold medal, finishing in 4 hours 20 minutes and 27 seconds.

Singapore’s athlete Ling Er Choo took second place with a time of 4 hours 26 minutes and 37 seconds, while Lisa Cheng from Hong Kong finished third in 5 hours 8 minutes and 11 seconds.

The successful performance at the Malaysian stage became an important part of the athletes’ preparation for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, which will be held in Nice in September.

IRONMAN 70.3 (Half Ironman) is a middle-distance triathlon series organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The total race distance is 70.3 miles (113 kilometers) and includes a 1.9-kilometer swim, a 90-kilometer cycling race, and a 21.1-kilometer run.