Taylor Knibb, three-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion: A historic triple win in Taupo
The American Wins Her Third Consecutive World Cup 70.3
Taylor Knibb, the American triathlon star, has made history again. After being crowned world champion T100 Triathlon World Tour In Dubai just a month ago, Knibb won his third World Championship this Saturday in Taupo (New Zealand). HOMBRE DE HIERRO 70.3 consecutive.
This victory follows his victories in Lahti (Finland) in 2023 and St. George (USA) in 2022.
At 26, Knibb closes a Dream season with a historic treble and a full house of six wins in six middle-distance races, in addition to Olympic silver in the Mixed Relay in Paris.
Knibb's Absolute Dominance in the Middle Distance
The competition in Taupo was not easy. Sara Perez led the race after the swimming segment, with Marta Sanchez close behind. However, Knibb's dominance over the bike soon became noticeable.
With overwhelming superiority, the American attacked and broke away solo, leaving her rivals behind. Both Sara and Marta fought back, but finished the second transition outside the top 20. Knibb reached T2 with a lead of almost five minutes over Kat Matthews and Imogen Simmonds.
Despite Matthews' efforts throughout the half marathon, Knibb held off the lead and crossed the line in first place, securing her third consecutive world title. Matthews took silver, just over a minute behind, with Ashleigh Gentle completing the podium.
Top 10 female
| Job title | Athlete | Country | Final time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Knibb | USA | 03:57:34 |
| 2 | Kat matthews | GBR | 03:58:49 |
| 3 | Ashleigh Gentle | AUS | 04:03:01 |
| 4 | Imogen Simmonds | SUI | 04:05:12 |
| 5 | Julie Derron | SUI | 04:06:02 |
| 6 | Paula Findlay | CAN | 04:07:12 |
| 7 | Ellie Salthouse | AUS | 04:07:48 |
| 8 | Caroline Pohle | GER | 04:08:06 |
| 9 | Tamara jewett | CAN | 04:08:47 |
| 10 | Grace thek | AUS | 04:09:08 |
Kat Matthews Takes IRONMAN Pro Series Title
In addition to Knibb's exciting triumph, Britain's Kat Matthews was crowned the winner of the IRONMAN Pro Series, taking home a juicy prize of $200.000 thanks to his consistency throughout the season.
Spanish women Sanchez and Perez battle in Taupo
Spanish triathletes Marta Sánchez and Sara Pérez demonstrated their fighting spirit at the Taupo World Championships.
They finished almost together, in 21st and 22nd positions respectively, with times of 4:15:08 and 4:15:37.
A World Championship with a Challenging Route in New Zealand
Knibb commented after her victory: “I am very tired and very hot, but also very grateful. It is great that each of my victories in the 70.3 World Championships have been on such different courses and on different continents.”
Matthews added: “Taylor beat me again. She is the best at the moment, the best of the year, and I am very proud to finish second. I still can’t believe my triumph in the IRONMAN Pro Series.”
This Saturday the men's PRO event will be held, with notable names such as Hayden Wilde, Leo Bergere and Rico Bogen. The expectation was at its peak to see who would take home the title in this exciting competition.
Where to watch the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo:
The 70.3 2024 World Championship was streamed free-to-air across multiple platforms including proseries.ironman.com, DAZN and YouTube.
