It's been two years since the last Ironman NZ for all the professionals including Braden Currie, the reigning champion.

For Currie, this is the event that propelled him into a dedicated professional Ironman career back in 2017.

Currie won on debut that year, and shortly after set about putting his full focus into Ironman racing.

This year Currie is back to defend his title as well as secure his qualification at the Ironman World Championships which for the first time in history will not be held in Kona for male professionals, they will instead be hosted by the city of Nice in France on the 10th of September this year.

This is disappointing for Currie, who has maintained his eye on the prize for the last 7 years to win Kona – Ironman World Champs.

'It's not easy for any pro-Ironman athlete to shift the goalposts away from Kona but it appears that these are the times we live in, the sport is rapidly evolving,” says Currie.

'There are plenty more racing opportunities to choose from for pro triathletes with the Professional Triathlon Organisation (PTO) also hosting its own event series and global ranking system that rewards the highest performing athletes across all events, with a higher chance of ranking well if you race well.

'There's a lot more to factor in and balance when it comes to making decisions on what races to race, and what to focus on. But I am still motivated by achieving what I set out to at the Ironman World Champs and to be honest I think the Nice course will suit me this year."

Ironman NZ has two slots available for the top pro finishers in both the male and female categories for this year's Ironman World Championship.

'For me, Nice is the big goal for 2023. I would love to claim one of the qualification slots this weekend, and the easiest way to get one is to win.”

Currie earnt 3rd place on the podium in St George, Utah in the 2021 Ironman World Championships, proving that he can adapt to a shift in goal posts and a change in course. This was a career-best performance for Currie and has given him the momentum and drive to keep his head down and keep working towards the goal he feels is within his reach.

'I was stoked with my result and race in St George. I would have loved to have won that day but overall, I had a great race and felt like I had made huge gains in my performance. This was my first race back on the world stage and I was racing a lot of athletes that I had not raced before. Covid saw a bit of a change of the guard, but I was happy to still be right in the mix and able to race from the front.”

Back in Taupō this year, Currie is excited to race Ironman NZ again.

'It's awesome to be back in Taupō. Obviously, Ironman NZ is such an iconic race for us Kiwis. It's exciting to kick off the first Ironman of the year in New Zealand.

'The field is looking really good. We are lucky enough to have Sebastian Kienle over here racing this year from Germany, as well as Jan Van Berkel from Switzerland, Mike Phillips (former Ironman NZ champion) and Matt Burton from Australia. This year will also be Cameron Brown's last race as a professional athlete. It's awesome to be a part of Cam's last race in Taupō. Cam is a legend in New Zealand and globally, it's pretty awesome to be back on the start line with him.”

Currie broke the record at the Tauranga Half in January this year, and the 36-year-old is showing all the signs that he is in career-best form.

'Lucky enough I had a really good summer with plenty of training under the belt. I am really happy with the training I've ticked off so far and I am looking forward to testing my fitness on race day in the full distance.

'My coach Ben Reszel has made the trip out to New Zealand from Germany for this event. It is good to have this level of support and make sure that everything is tracking right for race day. Ben always focuses on the detail around the course and the conditions, and this was of huge benefit to me leading into St George last year.

'We have been taking numbers and data this week and I should have a really good idea of what's possible and how much I can push on race day. Although I tend to race by instinct and feel most of the time, Ben's input is still hugely beneficial to getting my best result here in Taupō.”

The professional men's race will set off at 7.50 am this Saturday, March 4, on the shores of Lake Taupō with the women's race starting 2 minutes later.