We Noticed: Kat Matthews Signs With On and Slowtwitch Checks out Oman

British star Kat Matthews has a new shoe sponsor – the 34-year-old has signed with On as “the latest world-class athlete to join its global triathlon team.” Matthews has certainly surged to the highest levels of the sport since she turned pro in 2019, especially at IRONMAN events. In addition to successfully defending her IRONMAN Pro Series title last year, Matthews has three runner-up finishes at the IRONMAN World Championship (2022, 2024 and 2025) along with a pair of silver-medal performances at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship (2023 and 2024).

Matthews began last season with a bang, winning IRONMAN Texas in what was then a world-best time for an IRONMAN race (8:10:34). She would go faster just weeks later at IRONMAN Hamburg (8:05:13), but would lose the “world-best” title to Laura Philipp (8:03:13).

“My career has been defined by a drive to see exactly how fast a human can go when they refuse to quit,” Matthews said. “From my days as an amateur to breaking world records, I’ve always looked for partners who share that obsession with progress. On’s commitment to Swiss-engineered innovation is the perfect match for my goals as I continue to push the boundaries of the sport.”

In their release today, On also acknowledged Matthews’ incredible comeback to racing after a horrific bike accident in 2022 while training in Texas just before that year’s IRONMAN World Championship race in Kona.

“Kat is a generational talent, but what truly stands out is the human behind the records,” said Maria Ortega, athlete manager at On. “She balances an incredible analytical mind with a warmth, vulnerability, and a consistently positive mindset that connect with people. Kat’s journey hasn’t been a straight line to the top; it’s been a story of immense patience and a quiet, steady grit that inspires everyone around her. She perfectly embodies On’s spirits—authenticity and the courage to explore new limits—making her a natural fit for our team.”

That “team” features some huge names in the sport, including Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden, Chelsea Sodaro and Kate Waugh.

IRONMAN 70.3 Muscat Middle East Championship

As we reported last year, IRONMAN has signed a big deal with Experience Oman, which becomes the title sponsor of the IRONMAN Pro Series this year, and the Omani capital, Muscat, will be the host city for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2029. Later this year Oman will also host a full-distance IRONMAN race.

Sports tourism has become a huge part of Oman’s economic diversification plans, and endurance events like the IRONMAN 70.3 race in Muscat are seen as a great way to show off the country’s spectacular landscapes, infrastructure and hospitality. Oman joins other middle-east countries including the UAE and Qatar on this front – while Oman might have been late to the party compared to the UAE (the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon started in 2010 and the country now hosts everything from a WTCS event to Challenge Sir Bani Yas to T100 Dubai), it appears to be pushing hard to jump on the triathlon bandwagon.

So far so good, too – Slowtwitch’s Eric Wynn is in Muscat to check out the race this weekend, and he reports that the registration for the race is at 1,100, with a lot of the athletes coming from outside Oman for the event. Last year’s race appears to have had about 885 finishers, so depending on the number of no-shows, the race is on track for a slight increase in numbers this year. That’ll be a welcome sign for organizers considering race registration didn’t open until last September. It’s an age-group only event and, as the Middle East championship, will offer 40 men’s and 40 women’s qualifying slots for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice in September.

Stay tuned for more on the race and the Oman experience.

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