Hyd’s Sanjana Qualifies For Ironman World Championship
The result secured her slot in the 18-24 age group for Kona, the sport’s blue-riband event: Reports

Hyderabad: Twenty-two-year-old athlete Sanjana Reddy of Hyderabad has qualified for the prestigious Ironman World Championship to be held in Kona, Hawai‘i, this October after a breakthrough performance at Ironman Cairns on June 15.
Competing in Cairns, Australia, Sanjana Reddy completed the ultra-endurance triathlon, which includes a 3.8 km ocean swim, a 180 km cycling leg and a 42.2 km marathon, in 15 hours 22 minutes 13 seconds. Her split times were: Swim: 1 hour 47 minutes 05 seconds, bike: 7 hours 42 minutes 42 seconds, and run: 5 hours 52 minutes 26 seconds.
The result secured her slot in the 18-24 age group for Kona, the sport’s blue-riband event.
Sanjana Reddy first discovered triathlon while studying for a BSc in Economics at the University of Birmingham in early 2023. A former CBSE national-level swimmer from DPS Nanakramguda, she trained at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Stadium before moving to the United Kingdom for higher studies. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Urban Economic Development at University College London.
Now back in Hyderabad for the final build-up, Sanjana Reddy spends five to six hours a day on endurance, strength and mental-conditioning sessions under the guidance of a UK-based coach who trains her online.
Her road to qualification has been anything but smooth. She failed to finish her debut Ironman attempt in Italy in September 2023 after suffering a stress fracture during the bike leg, and visa issues forced her to withdraw from a planned race in Spain in October 2024. “There were so many moments when I felt like quitting,” she said. “Three attempts brought three crushing setbacks, but the goal wasn’t just to finish an Ironman, it was to finish what I started.”
Sanjana Reddy hopes her journey will inspire more Indians to embrace endurance sports. “Events like Ironman leave you in your most vulnerable, raw state,” she remarked. “They’re not simply races; they’re opportunities to discover who you really are. To reach that stage, you must push yourself far beyond your comfort zone.”
With four months to go, the young triathlete is focused on remaining injury-free and sharpening her race strategy for the windswept lava fields of Kona, where she will line up with the world’s best on October 11, 2025.