2023 Women's Ironman World Championship Kona: Lucy Charles-Barclay finally claims first world title
After being runner-up four times, British athlete Charles-Barclay led from start to finish in Hawaii to win in a course record ahead of German pair Anne Haug and Laura Philipp.
Triathlon
Lucy Charles-Barclay finally came out on top at the 2023 Women's Ironman World Championship on the Hawaiian island of Kona on Saturday (14 October).
The 30-year-old Briton had finished second in four of the last five editions of the Ironman triathlon Worlds, but went one better thanks to scintillating swim and cycle legs before a solid marathon run.
She showed little emotion until the finish line came into view, and joyously lifted the tape above her head before being congratulated by her husband and coach Reece.
German athlete Anne Haug - champion in 2019 - took silver for her fifth consecutive podium finish with compatriot Laura Philipp passing full Ironman debutante Taylor Knibb late on to take third in the first women's-only Ironman World Championship race on Kona.
Five-time winner Daniela Ryf - in her final Kona appearance - finished in fifth place.
Lucy Charles-Barclay goes wire to wire on Kona
As she has done so many times before, Charles-Barclay - who just missed out on an open water swimming appearance at London 2012 - opened up a significant lead on the 2.4-mile (3.9km) swim.
She was the only woman to reach the first transition in under 50 minutes with her rivals, led by USA’s Haley Chura, a minute and a half behind.
Among the pre-race favourites, Haug, Ryf and reigning champion Chelsea Sodaro were in the second chase group some five minutes off the pace.
Next was the 112-mile (180.2km) cycle with two-time reigning Ironman 70.3 (half Ironman) world champion Knibb making a move up from seventh after the swim into a clear second place.
But Charles-Barclay kept pushing on at the front, stretching her advantage to three minutes with Knibb more than six minutes clear of the chasers including Ryf and Haug.
Knibb served a one-minute stop-and-go penalty for unintentional littering before the transition and started the run with a deficit of three minutes and 49 seconds.
Laura Philipp was almost seven minutes further back in third place but Haug soon passed her fellow German before setting about the front two.
Charles-Barclay looked smooth at the start of her marathon run of 26.2 miles (42.2km). At midway, she was six minutes clear of Knibb with Haug just over three minutes further back.
With 12km to go, Haug overtook Knibb to go second but still had seven minutes to make up on the leader.
And having failed to hold off superior runners in the past, Charles-Barclay had no such issues this time as she claimed a long-awaited Ironman world title in 8:24:31, nearly two minutes inside Ryf's previous course record of 8:26:18 from 2018.
Haug was unofficially timed as running a women's Ironman marathon course record of 2:48:23 in finishing three minutes behind the winner.
Philipp - who was fourth last year after receiving a five-minute penalty for drafting (slipstreaming) on the bike leg - caught Knibb in the closing kilometres to take her first Ironman World Championship medal with Ryf signing off in fifth place.
Results from Women's Ironman World Championship 2023, Kona, Hawaii, USA - 14 October 2023 (top finishers):
- Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) 8:24:31
- Anne Haug (GER) +3:02
- Laura Philipp (GER) +8:24
- Taylor Knibb (USA) +11:25
- Daniela Ryf (SUI) +16:03