Knibb storms to T100 triathlon title with dominant performance

By James Reid

Taylor Knibb admitted she was in disbelief after storming to her first T100 triathlon world title in Dubai.

The American delivered a confident performance despite the scorching heat and fought her way forward with all her might on the bike stage before refusing to give up her lead in the run.

Knibb was pushed to the front by title rival Ashleigh Gentle, who eventually fell behind Julie Derron for third place, but in the end had the stamina that others didn’t have to secure a victory in four World Tour races and thus the To secure the overall title.

She said: “I woke up and told my trainer I felt unwell! I thought this was going to be a bad day so I was shocked.

“It only came together in the last three kilometers when everyone else fell apart. It was very step by step. It was brutal out there.”

Knibb started the race as one of the favorites alongside Gentle; the American won all three races in which she had previously taken part on the Tour.

The pair were, as expected, at the front after the swim alongside Sara Perez Sala before Knibb stormed to the front with the fastest cycling leg of the race.

This forced Gentle and the pursuers to increase the pace of their pursuers, but there was little they could do to stop Knibb’s winning march to the finish line, where she took her historic title.

“I think my dad was more nervous than me!” she added. “I have a fantastic team of individuals and then lots of sponsors. It’s a big team effort and I’m really grateful for everyone who supports me and believes in me.”

The win in Dubai caps off an impressive year for Knibb, who also won an Olympic silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games alongside fellow T100 athlete Taylor Spivey as part of the USA mixed relay team.

Knibb also had the rare honor of being an Olympian in two sports at the same Games, as she also competed in the cycling time trial in Paris.

But the first-ever T100 Triathlon World Tour title is the culmination of her season and the 26-year-old is determined to enjoy the magnitude of her achievement.

She added: “Lately a lot of people around me have been telling me to appreciate the good times you have, so I’ve been trying to get better at that. “I was a little better in Las Vegas, so “Hopefully I’ll be a little better here.”

Knibb came out on top but was forced to give her best due to a spirited performance from Gentle.

The Australian left everything on the course to achieve an impressive comeback victory after the bike stage.

Just over a kilometer from home she had to stop briefly, but managed to secure third place in Dubai and second overall in the T100 Championship.

“It’s still pretty fresh, but I wanted to win and it was so painful!” said Gentle. “I gave it my all and ended up third, but I’m proud of my performance.

“It’s pretty brutal. When I wasn’t feeling well and Derron just flew past me trying to escape, it was terribly devastating, but I did what I could.

“All the athletes I competed against this year motivated and inspired me in training. I feel like I’ve tried harder and better than ever before because the level of the women’s field is getting better and better and it’s quite difficult to just keep up.

“Taylor just dominated and when you’re up against an athlete like that, sometimes it’s really difficult to really believe that you can beat him.”

“I had this little fire in my belly. I have no reason to believe I can beat them, but I’m on the starting line and that means I have a chance, so I just had to believe and I don’t know how I did it.

“I didn’t beat them, but I felt like I took a step closer today and did everything I could to get there.”

The inaugural Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship final to crown the first-ever T100 World Champions will take place on November 16-17. The women’s race can be seen live and exclusively on Eurosport in the UK from 1.15pm on Saturday November 16th. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. The men’s race will take place at the same time on Sunday November 17th. Fans can also watch the film for free on PTO+