American Taylor Knibb will go head-to-head with Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle in the climax to the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour, as the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon confirmed the women’s line up for the first Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final on 16-17 November.
Three-time T100 winner Knibb is currently top of the T100 series standings with a win or second place in Dubai on Saturday 16 November enough for her to be crowned the first ever T100 Triathlon World Champion.
If two-time T100 winner Gentle were to win and Knibb comes third or worse, the T100 women’s title would be heading down under. Whoever scores the T100 series victory will not only be awarded World Champion status by triathlon’s international governing body, World Triathlon, but will also take away a cool $210,000 for topping the standings.
Also in the mix will be Britain’s India Lee, Kat Matthews, Lucy Byram and Lucy Charles-Barclay, Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds, Germany’s Laura Philipp and Canada’s Paula Findlay – who all have a chance of finishing on the T100 series podium, with increased points available for the final to up the ante [55 pts for the win versus 35 pts normally, down to 4 pts for 20th position versus the normal 1 pt].
There will also be more than 20 athletes on the start line for the first time this year, thanks to five wildcard athletes who have qualified during the season. These include: Haley Chura (USA), Kaidi Kivioja (EST), Laura Madsen (DEN), Grace Thek (AUS) and Julie Derron (SWI), who finished second in Ibiza and Lake Las Vegas and is sure to be a race contender in Dubai.
The full list of contracted women and wildcards in the order they appear in the current T100 standings is here and includes:
Taylor Knibb (USA)
Ashleigh Gentle (AUS)
India Lee (GBR)
Imogen Simmonds (SWI)
Laura Philipp (GER)
Kat Matthews (GBR)
Lucy Byram (GBR)
Paula Findlay (CAN)
Julie Derron (SWI)
Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR)
Flora Duffy (BER)
Taylor Spivey (USA)
Tamara Jewett (CAN)
Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR)
Amelia Watkinson (NZL)
Anne Haug (GER)
Haley Chura (USA)
Kaidi Kivioja (EST)
Laura Madsen (DEN)
Grace Thek (AUS)
Chelsea Sodaro (USA)
Marjolaine Pierre (FRA)
T100 Series End Prize Purse:
$210,000
$140,000
$90,000
$75,000
$60,000
$55,000
$50,000
$45,000
$40,000
$35,000
$30,000
$26,000
$24,000
$22,000
$20,000
$18,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
The 100km (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) professional course starts with a swim off the scenic Sunrise Beach in Jumeirah, with its breathtaking skyline views and beach-side location. The bike segment will take in Meydan and includes the Royal Bridge and surrounding area. Whilst the run will be around the Meydan Racecourse – the home of the world famous Dubai World Cup.
Staged and organised with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Sports Council, the women’s broadcast will begin at 1315 local time, with the athletes diving in at 1330 and shown live locally on beIN Sports across the Middle East as well as North Africa and the US. In Europe it will be live and exclusive on Eurosport and then available locally and regionally through a range of other deals that will see the final broadcast in 195+ territories.
The Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will also be an important part of the 30×30 Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) – an initiative driven by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, to integrate physical activity into everyday life for the population and make Dubai one of the most active cities in the world.
In addition to the professional races, there are set to be up to 10,000 amateur participants taking part in 100km and Sprint triathlons (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) as well as the Dubai debut of The Music Run – an un-timed, energy filled fun-run, perfect for participants of all ages and abilities. For more information, including registration details visit www.t100triathlon.com For more information on The Music Run please visit https://themusicrun.ae