Monger eyes Paralympics and racing return after Ironman heroics
British former racing driver Billy Monger is considering competing at the LA 2028 Paralympics after winning Prince William’s approval for his record-breaking Ironman triathlon.
The 25-year-old smashed the Ironman record for a double amputee on the 140.6-mile World Championship course in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday.
Monger’s remarkable effort, which followed a year of gruelling training alongside his work as a TV presenter, eclipsed the previous world record by more than two hours.
Monger, who was congratulated by the Prince of Wales for his Comic Relief fundraising achievement, feels a shot at the triathlon at the next Paralympics is a possibility.
“My trainers have 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 the 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 course in 14 hours, 23 minutes and 56 seconds.
Prince William responded to the feat by posting ‘Well done Billy, inspirational effort’ 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.
“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 1 and the Paris 2024 Paralympics during his broadcasting career in addition to being a contestant on Celebrity Race Across The World, raised £3.2m 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.
“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 1.
“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.
“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.”
PA