Lucy Charles-Barclay’s career told through 17 photos

Lucy Charles-Barclay is one of Britain’s best-liked and most successful triathletes with Ironman world championships to her name.

In November she added another Ironman 70.3 world title to her mantelpiece by beating defending champ Taylor Knibb in Marbella.

This victory was all the more remarkable for what preceded it. “We lost Reece’s grandad who was a huge fan of mine,” she said post-race. “When I won in Kona [in 2023], the first thing I did was go and see him and give him my medal – and he had that next to his chair the whole time.

“He was so proud of Reece and I and he definitely helped me out there today. I felt his presence and it allowed me to have wings throughout the race.”

Charles-Barclay also bounced back from a spectacular blow-up on the run a month earlier in Kona, where she didn’t finish.

Next year when the Ironman World Championships will return to Hawaii as a one-day event, she’ll be looking to win back the title she took in 2023.

But for now, let’s recap her incredible career in photos.

1. Kona podium debut

By finishing second behind Swiss superstar Daniela Ryf at Kona in 2017, Charles-Barclay announces her arrival as a top-level triathlete. This will be the first of three podium places in a row.

2. Challenge Roth breakthrough

After coming second by a scant margin the year before, Charles-Barclay wins her first Challenge Roth by a huge six minutes and thirty seconds.

3. Fifth in first WTCS

On debut at the Olympic-distance World Triathlon Championship Series race in Leeds, Charles-Barclay comes an impressive fifth.

4. Ironman 70.3 world champion

Beats fellow elite Brits Kat Matthews and Emma Pallant-Browne in a dominant world-championship winning display. Her eight-minute gap to runner-up Jeanni Metzler is one of the biggest ever.

5. Injury comeback

While laid off with a hip stress fracture in 2022, she misses the pandemic-postponed 2021 Ironman World Championships and participtating in the Sub8 attempt.

6. 4 x 2

For the fourth time on the trot, she comes second in Kona, earning a silver medal she said felt like gold after the troubled build-up.

7. Perfect position

Charles-Barclay’s impeccable positioning on her Cube Aerium C:68X SLT goes a long way to explaining her speed on this triathlon bike.

The way her back curves into a egg-shape and seamlessly meets her rolled shoulders and tail of her aero helmet looks textbook. As is the ‘praying-mantis’ position of her hands and forearms.

8. No stone unturned

The bike itself was also a lesson in optimisation as early as 2022. Bear in mind that some pros were still racing dated rim-brake, semi-integrated frames when these images were taken.

Whereas Charles-Barclay was already on this prototype disc Aerium with massive 58/44T chainrings, a waxed chain, Wahoo Speedplay pedals and an oversized pulley wheel eeking out every last watt.

9. Kona Queen

Finally wins the big one on the Big Island in some style in 2023 quelling the frustrations of four second-place finishes.

10. Going solo

In characteristic fashion, she streaks away solo and sets the course record after leading from start to finish.

11. A new discipline

Joins the T100 upon the new long-distance format’s launch in 2024. Takes two second places in early season races before injury strikes, causing her withdrawal from London T100 and the Ironman World Champs.

12. Home from home

Returns to form with a win in her de facto home race, Ironman Lanzarote, with a 20-minute lead.

13. T100 triumph

Finally wins her first T100 race, this time in her actual home city of London. Unusually she came from behind to beat Kate Waugh into second.

14. A strong swim start

As usual, things look good for the former competitive swimmer after T1 at the 2025 Ironman World Championships.

15. The legs come off

But she slows to a walk then halt in the second half of the marathon as the blistering heat appeared to take its toll.

In a heart-wrenching scene, her husband and training partner Reece came into the road and took his wife off the course.

16. Toe to toe

Fittingly the same fate befell her great rival Taylor Knibb later in the run.

The American is ranked fourth, one spot behind the Brit, in the PTO’s world rankings and the pair’s results are very closely matched.

In terms of head-to-head wins, they are tied on four apiece, but Charles-Barclay has beaten Knibb out of the water nine times out of nine.

Knibb, though, is nearly as dominant on the bike, having pedalled faster seven out of nine times.

But Charles-Barclay reverses that deficit on the run, where she’s been faster on six out of eight occasions.

17. You can’t keep a good woman down

Charles-Barclay’s career has been typified resounding comebacks, with her 2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championship title in Marbella a prime example.

Having lead Knibb out of the water, she had lost a little time to the American by T2 before pulling past her in the half-marathon.