Lucy Charles-Barclay lands Ironman Lanzarote crown

Lucy Charles-Barclay has made Lanzarote a second home and the popular British triathlete used all that experience to sweep to Ironman success yesterday.

Over a 3.8km swim, 180km bike leg and 42.2km run, the 31-year-old set the fastest splits throughout to take victory by more than 20min on one of the most challenging courses on the circuit.

It gave the 2023 world champion a first victory of the season and rekindled memories of a third place on her professional debut in 2016 and taking a first Ironman win the following year.

“This race. This island. It has my heart,” she posted on Instagram following the victory. “Such a special day going back to where it all started back in 2016. Thank you so much for all the love out on the course and online. Truly grateful to all of you.”

Charles-Barclay had already built a 6min lead by the time she finished the swim and extended the advantage throughout with a 5:21:54 bike split and 3:01:58 marathon to finish in in 9:17:15.

France’s Jeanne Collonge was second, with Germany’s Merle Brunnee in third, as another French atlhete, Dylan Magnien, won the men’s race. 

While no British male pro has ever won Ironman Lanzarote, Charles-Barclay’s win is the latest in a long line of British success in the women’s pro race.

Since 2005, British women have won 11 times. Charles-Barclays joins Bella Bayliss, Lucy Gossage and Lydia Dant as GB triathletes who have won twice, as well as successes for Cat Morrison, Rachel Joyce and Nikki Bartlett.

Beth Potter battles elements to finish runner-up in Japan

The second stop on the World Triathlon Championship Series in Yokohama provided wins for Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair and Australia’s Matt Hauser, as GB’s Beth Potter opened her WTCS campaign with second place and reigning Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand crashed out on the bike.

Both races in Japan, contested over a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle leg and 10km run, were hit by downpours, and after the in-form Beaugrand slid out on the slickened road surface, Lehair took charge and forged a gap that would eventually prove decisive.

Potter, the Paris bronze medallist, chased hard to hold off Lisa Tertsch in third and finish runner-up. The 33-year-old was content with her day’s work. “I’m happy with my result today. Last year was such a big year and it’s been hard to find the groove again. but to come here and still be competitive, nearly winning a race, is not a bad opener.”

US veteran and 2016 Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen ran through for fourth place and the other Brit in action, Sian Rainsley, finished 13th.

The men’s race became a three-way shootout between Hauser, Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça and Miguel Hidalgo of Brazil, with the Australian having enough in the tank to pull clear at the finish.

After a second place in Abu Dhabi behind New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, whose recent bike crash will mean he’s likely to miss the rest of the series, it puts Hauser on top of the rankings moving on to Alghero in Italy at the end of the month.

Britain’s Ben Dijkstra finished eighth with Max Stapley in 11th, Hugo Milner in 20th and Jack Willis in 27th.

Blummenfelt moves top of Ironman Pro Series, as Rayner finishes second

Norwegian’s top triathlete might not have had the year he was hoping for in 2024, but results are already looking far more promising this season.

Victory in Ironman 70.3 Pays d’Aix in France backed up a win at Ironman Texas to move the Tokyo OIympic champion to the top of the Ironman Pro Series – one of the few titles in the sport he has not yet won.

The 31-year-old delivered a 67min half-marathon to get the better of compatriot Casper Stornes, with GB’s Sam Dickinson 90sec back for his second forth place 70.3 finish in a fortnight. In a stacked field, Scotland’s Cameron Main finished 10th.

But there was podium success for GB in the women’s race where Lizzie Rayner landed one of the best results of her evolving career to finish second behind home favourite Marjolaine Pierré. Nikki Bartlett, who has twice been on the podium at this event, finished fifth.

Davies and Lindars on podium at Challenge Championship

it was one of the biggest events of the year for Challenge Family as its annual Championship race took place over the middle distance in Slovakia, where there was more British success.

In the women’s race, Daisy Davies finished second to Belgium’s Hanne De Vet, and in the men’s contest, a sprinting Kieran Lindars couldn’t quite get back on terms with Estonia’s runner-up Henry Räppo, with Will Draper equally close to Lindars in the battle for the final podium spot.

Denmark’s Kristian Høgenhaug had already shown his rivals a clean set of wheels on a spectacularly fast 90km bike leg of 1:56:21 and retained a cushion to the tape.

Long takes advantage of cancelled swim to win in Chattanooga

A cancelled swim was always likely to play into the hands of the Sam Long in Tennessee, as the Big Unit biked and ran his way to a first Ironman 70.3 win of the year.

Setting off in a time-trial format, Long clocked a 1:56:50 (90km bike) and 1:10:21 (21km run) combination to win by 3min from Matt McElroy with Jason West making it an all-American podium.

it was a similar story in the women’s race as a largely domestic field was topped by Grace Alexander, with GB’s 2014 Commonwealth Games champion Jodie Stimpson delivering a competitive bike split before dropping out on the run.