British triathlete Kate Waugh has collapsed across the finish line to claim her first world title at the T100 Triathlon World Championship Final in Lusail, Qatar, on Friday. The 26-year-old secured a $200,000 prize after an exhausting performance that left her on her knees, clinching victory by just 20 seconds over compatriot Georgia Taylor-Brown.
Waugh finished the gruelling 100-kilometre race in three hours, 31.30 seconds, holding off a late charge from Taylor-Brown to seal both the race win and the overall season championship. She entered the final as the top-ranked athlete with 183 points, six points ahead of Swiss rival Julie Derron, who finished third in the race and second overall with 163 points.
The victory capped a dominant debut season at the T100 distance for Waugh, who won in Singapore and secured podium finishes in all six of her appearances. The format covers almost double the Olympic triathlon distance, consisting of a 2km swim, 80km bike ride and 18km run.
Dramatic finish
Waugh's physical collapse at the finish line underscored the intensity of her achievement. She described feeling the ground tilt beneath her on the final lap as exhaustion took hold.
«Oh my gosh, that was the most dramatic way to win the world title,» Waugh said after the race. «I've always been a bit of a drama queen, so perhaps that was the best way to win it I guess. I'm completely overwhelmed with emotion right now. I do not want to see those finish line photos.»
The race proved mentally and physically taxing from start to finish. «I think I cried a bit on the bike, I just was suffering so much and obviously there was the drama with the water stations and I was getting angry,» Waugh revealed.
She credited advice from her father for helping her channel that frustration into a strong run. «My dad said to me at one point 'Okay just channel that anger' so I set off on the run and didn't look back,» she explained. «Going onto 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.»
Racing in December
The late-season timing added to the challenge. «It hurt so much, mentally, emotionally... it's December now and I've never raced this late in the year,» Waugh said. «I'm tired but I told myself I'm going to enjoy my holiday so much more if I just give it one last push.»
The world title represents a remarkable turnaround for Waugh, who finished 15th at the Paris 2024 Olympics and had considered her future in the sport before switching to the longer T100 format.
Taylor-Brown's gap year
Taylor-Brown's second-place finish in Friday's race secured her seventh place in the overall standings and an $85,000 prize. The three-time Olympic medallist described her T100 season as a "gap year" focused on longer distances.
«It is hard but it has also been really fun because it is something new – it is like a completely new sport,» said Taylor-Brown. «I have learned so much and I am getting a little bit closer to the front every time which is exciting.»
She acknowledged the format's challenges differ from her usual racing style. «People ask me do I enjoy it. I don't hate it but I don't love it. It is hard, it is long and for me racing is fast and ferocious, a bit chaotic. This is more of a mental game and I am really not good in my own headspace,» she admitted.
Taylor-Brown plans to return to world series races alongside select T100 events in 2026, with her ultimate focus on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. «Next year is for me going back into some world series races and do some of the T100s and just build on all of this. Then it will all be about aiming for LA,» she said.
The T100 series features eight global stops with overall standings calculated from athletes' best four results plus their final race performance. The tour has distributed over $8 million in prize money this season as part of efforts to professionalize the sport.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
