Britain’s Kate Waugh came through a three-way battle to win the T100 Triathlon World Championship final in Qatar.
It sealed a first ever world title in the sport for the 26-year-old.
Waugh had been top of the standings heading into event and finished clear of rivals Julie Derron of Switzerland and fellow Briton Lucy Charles-Barclay, who came third and fifth respectively.
Derron had started the day just six points behind Waugh, with Charles-Barclay a further three points back, but neither could match Waugh’s pace in the closing stages as she pulled in front.
However, the Gateshead-born triathlete was exhausted towards the end of the run and had to walk the final stretch before she collapsed to her knees.
«I’ve always been a bit of a drama queen, so perhaps that was the best way to win it I guess,» said Waugh, whose final points tally of 183 was 20 more than Derron with Charles-Barclay on 152.
«I’m completely overwhelmed with emotion right now. I do not want to see those finish line photos. That was the most dramatic way to win the world title.»
Waugh finished in three hours 31.30 seconds after the swim, cycle and run – 20 seconds clear of fellow Briton, Georgia Taylor-Brown, who came second in Friday’s race and seventh in the overall standings.
She added: «Going on to the last lap I felt the floor starting to tilt a bit and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble now’.
«I just held it together and then Georgia was putting me under pressure and I luckily just got across the line.»
Success capped a remarkable debut season at the 100-kilometre distance for Waugh, who won her first T100 race in Singapore and finished on the podium in all six of her appearances.
She had moved up to the longer distance – the T100 is almost twice the Olympic triathlon distance of 51.5 km – for a fresh start after her disappointing 15th-placed finish at Paris 2024.
T100 races consist of a 2km swim, 80km bike ride and 18km run, with the tour including eight global stops. An athlete’s best four results, plus their finish in the final, determined the overall standings.
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