Former racing driver Billy Monger is contemplating competing at the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles after receiving royal recognition for his record-breaking Ironman exploits.
The 25-year-old smashed the Ironman global record for a double amputee on Saturday by finishing the 140.6-mile World Championship course in Kona, Hawaii in 14 hours, 23 minutes and 56 seconds.
His remarkable effort, which followed a year of gruelling training alongside his work as a television presenter, eclipsed the previous best mark – set by American Roderick Sewell – by more than two hours.
14:23:56 – I can’t believe what just happened, World Championship Record Broken. I am offically an IRONMAN 💪🏼🦿Let’s goooooo ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jPLIPQynWk
— billywhizz (@BillyMonger) October 27, 2024
Monger, who was congratulated by the Prince of Wales for his achievement, which is raising money for Comic Relief, feels a shot at para triathlon glory in LA is a possibility.
“Funnily enough, having spent a year of my life training for triathlon and the Kona Ironman, my trainers Mark and Will, they’ve been slowly drip feeding me a little bit of a hint here and there about LA in 2028,” he told the PA news agency.
“It’s definitely something they’ve been just easing me into the thought process of, that that Paralympic Games is four years away but it could be a possibility.
“I’ve loved the process of training for Kona and I’ve learnt a lot through this whole experience so I would definitely never say never.”
Monger, whose legs were amputated after he was involved in a near-fatal crash while racing at Donington Park in 2017, overcame jellyfish stings to complete the “toughest challenge” of his life.
He finished the 2.4-mile swim in 1:07:29, the 112-mile cycle in 7:26:50 and the marathon run in 5:26:26.
Prince William responded to the feat by posting: ‘Well done Billy, inspirational effort. W’ on social media, while Tottenham supporter Monger also received praise from his favourite football club.
“It’s mind-blowing really to have Prince William knowing about the challenge and what we accomplished and responding to that,” said Monger.
Well done Billy, inspirational effort. W
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 27, 2024
“It’s a little bit surreal to get some royal opinion and support for the challenge. But it really means a lot to know I had the whole nation behind me and I really felt that support throughout the whole process.
“I’m absolutely chuffed and full of pride really. It’s been a long journey and there’s been a lot hours, a lot of sacrifice that goes into taking on a challenge of this scale.
“At the start it was a bit of a pipe dream and to go out there and break the world record by over two hours, it was beyond my wildest expectations.”
Monger, who has covered Formula One and the Paris 2024 Paralympics during his broadcasting career, in addition to being a contestant on Celebrity Race Across The World, raised £3.2million for Comic Relief in 2021 by walking, kayaking and cycling 140 miles across England.
He hopes to top that figure following the success of his latest challenge, which was undertaken in Hawaii partly due to Sewell setting the previous world record there in 2019.
“There were a lot of mental and physical points where it felt like the body was close to breaking point,” said Monger, who still dreams of racing in Formula One.
“Who knows what’s up next for me? What challenges exceed this? I don’t know.
“Motorsport has been my passion since a young age, it’s what I know, so I would definitely not rule anything out from a motorsport perspective.
A day I’ll never forget 🤯 Feeling a rollercoaster of emotions right now, but mainly just so proud to have gone on this incredible journey with so many amazing people in my corner! 🙌🏼 Feeling full of pride for never giving up on myself and my dream ❤️💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/WxJq0VFYU8
— billywhizz (@BillyMonger) October 27, 2024
“But, equally, I’ve quite liked being my own engine, which is what Ironman and triathlon has all been about.
“The effort I put into training translates into performance on race day, so it’s been nice to get out what I put in.
“I’m still riding the crest of a wave.”
:: Visit comicrelief.com/billyironchallenge for more information or to donate.
