After skipping Singapore and narrowly missing the top spot in San Francisco, Taylor Knibb has made a powerful statement in Vancouver. The American triathlete returned to the top of the podium in commanding fashion, taking the win at the inaugural edition of T100 Vancouver.
Swim Sets Up a Tactical Race
The race began with a tight front pack emerging from the water. As expected, Lucy Charles-Barclay led the way, joined by Dutch newcomer Maya Kingma and Britain’s Jessica Learmonth. Taylor Spivey, Taylor Knibb, and Holly Lawrence were just seconds behind, forming a six-woman lead group heading into T1. Meanwhile, big contenders like Ashleigh Gentle and Julie Derron were over 2:30 behind, setting them up for a tough chase.
Knibb and Learmonth Break Away on the Bike
Once on the bike, the dynamic shifted quickly. Knibb and Learmonth found another gear, dropping the rest of the group early on and sticking together for the entire 80km ride. Behind them, Charles-Barclay, Kingma, and Lawrence tried to organize a response but steadily lost time. By T2, the gap had grown to nearly five minutes. Lucy Byram and Julie Derron entered the transition a minute behind that chase group, ready to make their move on the run.
Decisive Moves on the Run
Knibb wasted no time in establishing a lead on Learmonth during the early stages of the run. While the gap was small at first, it steadily increased with each kilometer. Kingma, on the other hand, began to struggle. Although she exited T2 alongside Charles-Barclay, her form quickly deteriorated, and within three kilometers she had dropped out of the top ten already.
As Knibb pulled away at the front, Derron surged from behind. She was running faster than Knibb, steadily closing the gap to the athletes ahead. Within just three kilometers, she overtook Lawrence, and by the fourth kilometer, she had passed Charles-Barclay as well. With Knibb and Learmonth the only athletes left ahead, Derron pushed on in pursuit of the podium.
Late Drama Secures Silver for Derron
Learmonth fought valiantly to hold onto second place, but the Swiss athlete’s relentless pace paid off. With less than a kilometer remaining, Derron made the decisive pass to secure silver, relegating Learmonth to third after a heroic effort.
Taylor Knibb broke the tape in 3:30:50, sealing a dominant win. Julie Derron claimed second in 3:32:55, and Jessica Learmonth rounded out the podium in 3:33:18.
