Kuala lumpur: Kyrgyzstan dominated the professional races at the IRONMAN 70.3 Desaru Coast 2026 after Evgeny Tikhonin and Mariia Kurchenko claimed the men's and women's titles respectively in Johor yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Tikhonin produced a composed performance to win the men's race in three hours 49 minutes 35 seconds (s), finishing ahead of Australia's defending champion Jed Radbone (3:57:28s) while compatriot Ilya Kosov completed the podium in third place with a time of 4:03:48s.

The victory marked Tikhonin's third IRONMAN 70.3 title and his second of the season following his triumph at IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa. "The swim was nice. There were a few waves, but I felt comfortable. The bike course was really good, although it became a little too hot in the second half. The run was epic but very tough because of the heat, and it felt like there was no air," he said according to a statement today.

Tikhonin said the advantage he built during the swim and bike segments allowed him to manage his pace throughout the run without taking unnecessary risks.

Meanwhile, Kurchenko captured the women's title in 4:20:26s, finishing ahead of Singapore's Ling Er Choo (4:26:36s) and Hong Kong's Lisa Cheng (5:08:10s) to seal an impressive winning debut at Desaru Coast.

The success achieved by Tikhonin and Kurchenko serves as an additional boost for those set to compete in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France, this coming September.