Army Athlete Bitan Singh Wins Ironman 70.3 Goa 2026 Title
An Indian Army athlete, Bitan Singh, won the Ironman 70.3 Goa title on Sunday after rewriting the event's record books. The sixth edition of the race, held in Madgaon, drew a strong international field and produced one of the fastest times in the event's history.
Singh finished in 4 hours, 24 minutes and 29 seconds. That performance surpassed the 4:25:47 course record set in 2025 by Uzbekistan's Konstantin Belousov. Singh's time was also 1 minute and 18 seconds faster than the winning time recorded by last year's champion.
The race featured more than 2,000 athletes from 30 countries. The course began at Miramar Beach and covered a 1.9-kilometre swim, a 90-kilometre bike ride and a 21.1-kilometre run. Organisers and participants alike noted that Goa continues to strengthen its reputation as a leading venue for international endurance events, attracting top professionals, age-group athletes and relay teams.
Singh's win is especially notable because of the conditions under which he prepared. Serving in Tawang, he trained for three months before the event, managing his military responsibilities alongside a demanding training schedule. He had been unable to finish the 2024 race because of dehydration, and this year he targeted a course record.
Marina Shliakhtina claimed first place in the women's overall category with a time of 5:30:29. Sabina Iskakova followed in second place with 5:42:58, while Melanie Wendt completed the podium in third place in 6:04:54.
In the relay category, Team Fit Swaggers Goa finished first in 4:33:24. Team Serious About Training was second in 4:35:22, and Team Airforce 2 took third in 4:47:04.
Results
Men's Overall 1. Bitan Singh (India) - 4:24:29 2. Anirudh Ravichandran (India) - 4:46:32 3. Nihal Baig (India) - 4:52:59
Women's Overall 1. Marina Shliakhtina - 5:30:29 2. Sabina Iskakova - 5:42:58 3. Melanie Wendt - 6:04:54
Relay Overall 1. Team Fit Swaggers Goa - 4:33:24 2. Team Serious About Training - 4:35:22 3. Team Airforce 2 - 4:47:04