Here’s what happened in the swim in the women’s race at Challenge Roth… Watch the race live HERE.
Lucy Charles-Barclay dominated the swim as expected in the Danube-Main Canal as the British athlete took an early grip on the 2026 Challenge Roth.
As expected, the temperature of the water in Bavaria was not cold enough for officials to deem this a wetsuit swim, but that did not prevent LCB from powering away right from the moment the cannon sounded.
Almost immediately, she opened up a sizeable gap on her rivals, those big, strong arms slicing through the water, ensuring she was ahead of the pack early and in charge right from the outset – just as she was when winning her last Roth in 2019.
Powerful start puts LCB in control
Fellow Brits Fenella Langridge and Daisy Davies were closest to her, while Switzerland’s Alanis Siffert had also been able to stick with the chasers as the early stages saw a distinct thinning of the field.
Germany’s Caroline Pohle was also swimming well, but she had chosen a lone course, away from the main group and swimming almost on her own; it was a tactic that would serve her well as she continued to keep pace with the leaders.
Matthews was further back, but then again, she was never going to be able to keep up with the likes of LCB or Langridge and was keeping her energy in reserve for what she would hope was a big chase down on the bike and run.
Unsurprisingly, it was Charles-Barclay who exited the water first, although her time of 50:23 was much slower than expected – even taking into account that it was a non-wetsuit swim – and she did not seem to have the kind of lead that many would have expected.
Pohle sets her own path into second
Pohle was next out of the water, 1:36 behind the leader; Siffert was third (+1:40), Langridge in fourth (+1:43), and Davies was fifth (+1:45).
Matthews will have known that she was going to be in arrears coming out of T1, but she wasn’t perhaps expecting to be more than six minutes behind, coming out of the water in eighth spot and with +6:08 to catch up to a leader in LCB who was already well into her bike and looking in powerful form.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the swim was to see Germany’s Daniela Bleymehl, many people’s tip to challenge for a podium place, way down in ninth spot and sitting at +09:21 to Charles-Barclay. She would have to put in the bike and swim of her life if she were to have any chance of making up the time.
Challenge Roth women’s swim results
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucy Charles-Barclay | GBR | 00:50:23 | +00:00 |
| 2 | Caroline Pohle | GER | 00:51:59 | +01:36 |
| 3 | Alanis Siffert | SUI | 00:52:03 | +01:40 |
| 4 | Fenella Langridge | GBR | 00:52:06 | +01:43 |
| 5 | Daisy Davies | GBR | 00:52:08 | +01:45 |
| 6 | Dajana Pechtl | CRO | 00:55:26 | +05:03 |
| 7 | Chloe Hartnett | AUS | 00:56:26 | +06:03 |
| 8 | Kat Matthews | GBR | 00:56:31 | +06:08 |
| 9 | Jasmine Brown | AUS | 00:56:31 | +06:08 |
| 10 | Merle Hinrichs | GER | 00:59:36 | +09:13 |
