Diverse cast of announcers to call in IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Finishers in 2023
Following in the steps of Mike Reilly the “Voice of IRONMAN” who retired after 33 years of announcing IRONMAN events in 2022, both existing and new voices to call in IRONMAN athletes across the globe in 2023
More women announcers than ever to call in athletes; some events to feature women only announcing crew
The list of voices calling athletes across IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® finish lines will be expanding in 2023 to include some familiar voices as well as new ones. As the IRONMAN community bids farewell to Mike Reilly, the most famous voice in the sport of triathlon who has retired following a storied career spanning 33 years, athletes can expect to hear a variety of different voices greeting them at IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events over the coming year.
In addition, more women announcers will be picking up a microphone at IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events in 2023, including for the first time ever, a fully female announcing crew calling athletes in at the 2023 IRONMAN Maryland triathlon, part of the VinFast IRONMAN North America Series on Sept. 16, 2023.
Mike Reilly also shared his appreciation for the craft and the impact this crop of race announcers can have as they encourage athletes at events. “For over 30 years, it has been an incredible honor to support IRONMAN athletes as they cross finish lines worldwide,” said Reilly who is also in the IRONMAN Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport. “I have no doubt that the dynamic and diverse team of announcers assembled will continue to uphold the legacy of IRONMAN and create unforgettable experiences for competitors and spectators. When you hear those powerful and life changing words, ‘You are an IRONMAN’ at your next finish line, know that they are delivered with passion and a deep commitment to your success.”
Below are many of the iconic voices and new announcers that athletes can expect to see and hear at IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events this year in Europe, Middle East & Africa.
· Tania Branzanic – Tania was born in Romania and grew up in Romania and Sweden. She moved to Lake Garda in Northern Italy in 2002. A graduate in modern languages and literatures, she began her career as announcer in 2016. In 2018, she announced at her first ever IRONMAN event in Italy, after which she went on to announce at IRONMAN Estonia, IRONMAN Luxembourg, IRONMAN Spain, IRONMAN Portugal, and IRONMAN France. Tania is also a two-time IRONMAN finisher. She took on IRONMAN South Africa in 2016 and IRONMAN Lanzarote in 2017. She is passionate about the endurance industry and loves to announce at trail, mountain bike and cross-country races.
· Fabio D’Annunzio – Fabio was born in Abruzzo, Italy and moved to Milan when he was young to follow his dream of becoming a sports specialist. Running and triathlon is in his blood, and he is a coach of several age group athletes. He has been announcing since 2000 and has been part of the Italian announcing team at IRONMAN Italy for the last three event editions. He is also the editor of Italian Triathlete Magazine and Eurosport Italy’s official voice.
· Stéphane Garcia – Stéphane was born in Royan, a small city north of Bordeaux in France. He was a strong age grouper triathlete before being an IRONMAN announcer. He has qualified to race the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Lahti, Finland. He started with announcing in 2006 at IRONMAN France Nice and quickly became a regular feature of the event on the mic. He has a big passion for triathlon and endurance sporting events. L’Equipe, one of France’s popular news outlets, recently worked with him commentator through the 2022 IRONMAN World Championships on L’Equipe TV sporting channels.
· Gordon Graham – Gordon is known as the man with the golden voice. His cool calm radio voice has made him a favorite in many South African households. Gordon has been a radio presenter for many years but what he loves most is announcing on the finish line at IRONMAN events. He participated in his first IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in 2009 at IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa, and first IRONMAN event in 2010 at IRONMAN African Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay. The year 2010 become one he would never forget, starting off the day as an athlete, unfortunately dropping out as the race legs weren’t there, but ended up announcing his first IRONMAN event on the finish line later that day. Gordon has gone on to announce locally and across the European race circuit.
· Salvador Itchart – Salvador, known as Vadó, was born in Calella, home for IRONMAN Barcelona. He began his communications career at Ràdio Calella Televisió in 1987, where he was Head of Sports. He has been a presenter for both radio and television programs for a variety of different media outlets, talking about different topics. However, sport is where his passion lies. He has been a commentator for FC Barcelona’s football matches for two seasons on the local radio stations as well as ACB League’s basketball games. In 2014, he joined IRONMAN Spain’s announcing team and announced at IRONMAN Barcelona speaking both Spanish and Catalan.
· Paul Kaye – Paul hails from South Africa and has also lived in Germany and Japan. His career began in radio where he spent time on both the talent and management side. He then moved into sports magazine publishing, expanding his network into the endurance sports industry which led to him announcing his first IRONMAN in 2001. Paul is also an IRONMAN (Class of 2008—IRONMAN Austria). He has become one of the most recognizable voices at IRONMAN and has now announced over 100 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events all over the world as a road warrior on the Europe, Middle East and African circuit in addition to being a key announcer at world championship events. Paul will take on the main announcing duties at all IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship events.
· Jay Luke – Luke was born in Bristol in the United Kingdom but now based out of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Jay Luke has transitioned from being an accomplished triathlete and the founder of a successful finance broking business into an international sports announcer and Emcee. With more than eight years of announcing experience, which include 160 plus events, Luke still announces each event with renewed passion. Commentating at events in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres has provided him with unprecedented experience across a broad range of branded events. Jay’s passion for sport and helping other athletes succeed is apparent to every audience.
· Robson Lindberg – Robson is another dual IRONMAN athlete and announcer who lives in Finland. After suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2016, he rehabbed himself back to doing IRONMAN races and with that experience came his passion for sharing his story through sports. With his speaking engagements increasing, Robson naturally transitioned to IRONMAN announcer. He belongs to the IRONMAN Class of 2021 having finished IRONMAN Portugal-Cascais. In his free time, Robson raises money for TBI awareness and looks forward to welcoming athletes to the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland and men’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France.
· Alberto Montenegro – Alberto is a sports journalist from Barcelona. He has spent his entire career in the communications department for various companies, clubs and announcing at different sporting events. He has been a professional voiceover artist for two decades and has been an announcer at World and European Championships in more than 25 different sports. He joined the IRONMAN family in 2014 announcing the IRONMAN and the IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons in Barcelona. He announces at all events in the Spanish region which include events in Spain, Mallorca, Marbella, Vitoria and Andorra. He is also heavily involved in announcing at several UTMB World Series races.
· Joanne Murphy – Joanne is a professional emcee, presenter, and podcaster from Ireland. In 2022, she became the first female announcer of an IRONMAN World Championship, and she will continue as part of the world championship announcing team with stops in Lahti, Finland and Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i. Joanne spent 11 years working in the charity sector before she shifted gears, going on to build a career in endurance sports. Joanne hosts and owns a successful triathlon themed podcast, Tri Talking Sport, and has expanded her race announcing far beyond her native country. Joanne is a triathlete herself and serves as a global ambassador for Women for Tri.
· Dario Nardone – Dario was born in Milan, Italy and has been a sports journalist reporting on triathlon news since 1995. He loves triathlon and heads up the Italian Triathlete magazine, while also being an announcer in numerous endurance events. He has also been a TV commentator on several sporting broadcasts. Since 2011 he has become the voice of IRONMAN in Italy, from the inaugural event in Pescara up to the big event in Cervia, the IRONMAN Italy Emilia-Romagna triathlon.
· Till Schenk – Till was born and spent a portion of his childhood in Black Forest, a mountainous region located in southwest Germany. He had the privilege of travelling the world from an early age as a child in a military family. After seven years of working with Four Seasons Hotels internationally, he decided to chase his dream of being an event emcee, sports commentator, triathlete, and an adventure athlete. He also completed multiple IRONMAN events and the Cape Epic MTB in South Africa. Being an adventure enthusiast, Till then decided to challenge himself mentally and physically by going on a self-supported bike packing adventure across the West Sahara. Till is always plotting his next adventure in-between announcing at IRONMAN events across Europe.
· Jay Style – Jay is originally from Switzerland and is one of the leading DJs on the French club scene. A true showman, he tours more than 120 clubs a year, combining his technical prowess with an innate sense of showmanship. He has been crowned French Champion DJ three times. Jay hosted the popular radio show “Party Fun” on Fun Radio France for 7 years. He is best known for his unforgettable, energetic and creative sets at Loft Metropolis since 2009. With a dream to combine his two passions, sport and music, Jay Style became the Official DJ and Speaker for IRONMAN France and has since announced other IRONMAN Europe events. He travels all year round to provide the voice of the biggest sporting events in the world of triathlon and athletics. He has also recently joined the French Triathlon Federation in 2021 as a certified commentator. His aim is to commentate the French Grand Prix and Championships in the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games. This year, Jay will be a part of the men’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship announcing team in Nice.
To find an IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon event near you, visit www.ironman.com.