It couldn’t have been scripted better. On home soil, cheered on by a roaring London crowd, Lucy Charles-Barclay finally ticked off one of the biggest items on her career bucket list: a T100 series win. Charles-Barclay delivered a gutsy, tactical performance, outlasting compatriot Kate Waugh in a thrilling late-race showdown to seize her maiden victory in the format.
From the opening strokes in the water, the tone was set. True to form, Charles-Barclay led the field out of the 2km swim in 26:28, with fellow Brits Jessica Learmonth and Kate Waugh glued to her feet. American powerhouse Taylor Knibb emerged in fourth just seconds adrift, but behind her, gaps were already forming. Holly Lawrence trailed by 39 seconds, Georgia Taylor-Brown by just under a minute, and Ashleigh Gentle found herself 90 seconds down in ninth.
Learmonth Goes All-In on the Bike
While the swim delivered few surprises at the front, the 80km bike leg flipped expectations. Instead of Knibb launching her trademark breakaway, it was Learmonth who lit up the course. Feeding off home support, she drove the pace early, with Charles-Barclay and Waugh locked in behind. Knibb, unusually on the back foot, had to concede about 30 seconds before gradually clawing it back by the 50km mark – even seizing the lead for a stretch.
Yet this wasn’t the dominant Knibb we’ve seen so often. The lead group of four — Knibb, Charles-Barclay, Learmonth, and Waugh — refused to splinter, and it was Charles-Barclay who made the decisive bike move with 10km to go. She eked out a slender 20-second gap, but by T2 the margin had shrunk to just nine seconds, setting the stage for an 18km footrace between the quartet.
Waugh Takes the Fight to the Favourite
The run began with Learmonth falling off the back almost immediately, leaving Waugh, Knibb, and Charles-Barclay to battle it out. Waugh made her intentions clear – she wasn’t racing for second. Her relentless pace first cracked Knibb, then began to pry open a gap on Charles-Barclay. By halfway, Waugh was 20 seconds clear, with Knibb 50 seconds back.
But Charles-Barclay is nothing if not tenacious. Refusing to let the elastic snap, she held the gap steady before slowly reeling Waugh back in. The tension mounted as Waugh’s frequent glances over her shoulder betrayed a creeping sense of inevitability.
The Decisive Strike
With 2.5km to go, Charles-Barclay pounced. Closing the final meters, she sat briefly on Waugh’s heels before unleashing a searing acceleration that left her rival unable to respond. From there, the outcome was never in doubt.
Crossing the line in 3:35:51, Charles-Barclay was overcome with emotion, tears streaming as the home crowd erupted. Waugh took a hard-fought second in 3:36:46, while Knibb rounded out the podium in 3:39:07.