Lucy Charles – Barclay Wins IRONMAN 70.3WC on a Day British Women Dominate the Top 10
Persistent and consistent; Lucy Charles – Barclay takes to the top step of the podium to claim her first professional World Championship title in St George, Utah. Joining her on the podium was Jeanni Metzler in second place and Taylor Knibb in third.
In true Lucy style, it was a gun to tape win for the British athlete, taking the fastest splits of the day across all three disciplines. The recently turned 28-year-old was off solo from the very start and never looked back or came under pressure for the whole day.
Racing kicked off with a sunrise start at 07:10am local time. It was the mermaid with battle braids who headed up affairs with a storming start on the ROKA swim course. Not even the youth and short course speed of Knibb could hang on to the feet of Charles-Barclay, as she opened a 45 second lead, just 0.6 miles into the swim over the chasers. This only grew larger with Charles-Barclay exiting the water with well over 90 seconds on the rest of the field.
Knibb, leading the chasers on to the bike with no swim skin to remove and a road bike, disc wheel combo, quickly separated herself from the group in the first 20km in hot pursuit of the blazing pace of Charles-Barclay. As the bike rolled over the desert roads, Charles-Barclay continued to set the pace but with Knibb and now Daniella Ryf still a several minutes a drift of the British athlete through Snow Canyon, it was time to swap two wheels for two feet.
Temperatures relatively modest for the Utah desert, low 20ºC but this was all about to change. First came rain and then came the hail. Not to be for Ryf, as the 5-time 70.3 World Champion, fell rather rapidly back through the field in the opening miles of the run course.
Charles-Barclay still flawless in her pursuit of glory but it was all change going on behind. Charging Brits Emma Pallant-Browne and Kat Matthews rapidly moving from the top 15 to top 5 positions as little Metz (Jeanni Metzler) puts on a big performance we know only too well big Metz would be proud of.
Final lap of the run and the world title in the bag for Team Charles-Barclay. Metzler and Knibb battling it out for the remaining podium spots and more brits in the form of Nikki Bartlett move into the top 10. The strength and depth of British women’s middle-distance racing is possibly the best it has ever been, even with not everyone on show in today’s race.
It was Lucy Charles–Barclay to take the tape by over 8 minutes to Jeanni Metzler in 2nd and Taylor Knibb in 3rd just 11 seconds adrift of Metzler on the line. Rounding out the day with 3 Brits in the top 5 and 5 Brits in the top 10.
PRO Women
- Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) 4:00:20
- Jeanni Metzler (RSA) 4:08:39
- Taylor Knibb (USA) 4:08:50
- Katrina Matthews (GBR) 4:10:46
- Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR) 4:12:11
- Skye Moench (USA) 4:12:50
- Jackie Hering (USA) 4:15:03
- Holly Lawrence (GBR) 4:16:03
- Nikki Bartlett (GBR) 4:16:18
- Anne Reischmann (GER) 4:17:11
- Daniela Ryf (SUI) 4:17:34
