The final T100 Triathlon World Tour event of the year gets underway in Dubai this weekend as athletes seek to earn crucial points ahead of the end-of-season showdown in Qatar next month.
Set against some of Dubai’s iconic landmarks, athletes will line up for this eighth race of the series, knowing it is their final chance to improve on their standings before the all-important World Championship Finals weekend on December 10-13.
While the winners of last week’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, Jelle Geens and Lucy Charles-Barclay, are understandably missing, there remains a strong field for both the men’s and women’s races.
Series leaders Hayden Wilde (NZL) and Kate Waugh (GBR) are both competing, while the likes of Julie Derron (SUI), Jess Learmonth (GBR), Mika Noodt (GER) and Mathis Margirier (FRA) are all confirmed in what should be a thrilling pursuit for crucial points.
Start times and how to watch live
The men’s race starts at 11:30am local time on Saturday, November 15 – this will be at 7:30am UK time, 8:30am CET, 02:30am EST and 11.30pm Friday PST.
The women’s race takes place in the afternoon the same day at 1:30pm local time – this will be at 9:30am UK time, 10:30am CET, 04:30am EST and 01:30am PST.
Races will be screened for free on the Triathlon World Tour’s own PTO+ channel and will also be shown on Eurosport, Max, and Discovery+ in Europe and beIN and Dubai Sports across the Middle East. The T100 Series website has a full breakdown of where to watch the race HERE.
Women’s race: Waugh looking to take advantage
This could be a huge weekend for British competitor Kate Waugh as she looks to make the most of the fact that her two nearest challengers in the championship – Lucy Charles-Barclay and Ashleigh Gentle – are not competing.
Indeed, of the current top ten in the women’s standings, only Waugh, Julie Derron (SUI) and Jess Learmonth (GBR) will be lining up on Jumeirah 3 Beach come Saturday afternoon, as the likes of Taylor Knibb (USA), Hannah Berry (NZL) and Paula Findlay (CAN) miss out.
Waugh, however, is not the type to let complacency seep into her preparations and will know there are still many dangerous athletes lurking in a field which is far from weak.
Outside of the current tour top ten, there are two – Sara Pérez Sala (SPA) and Lisa Perterer (AUT) – who have secured podium finishes this season, while the likes of Taylor Spivey (USA), Holly Lawrence (GBR), and Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) can all be dangerous on their day.
Waugh was dominant in Wollongong, Australia, a couple of weeks ago to secure her second T100 victory of the season – having started with a debut win at the Singapore T100 in April – and she currently leads the season-long T100 Race To Qatar rankings by nine points from Charles-Barclay in second.
“I’ve gained huge confidence doing the T100 Tour this year,” said Waugh. “It’s been so refreshing working with everyone on the T100 team. They look after us so well, which means I’m enjoying every race and am very happy to have two wins now and have podiumed at each event I’ve competed in.
“I’m really looking forward to racing in Dubai. I’ve heard great things about the course there and always enjoy visiting the city. I want to build on my win in Wollongong to get as much of a lead as possible going into the final in Qatar.”
Men’s race – Will it be the joy of six for Wilde?
Kiwi superstar Hayden Wilde will go for his sixth T100 Tour win of the campaign in Dubai this weekend as he continues his relentless pursuit of a perfect season.
With only four of the best scores to count as the athletes head to Qatar next month, Wilde hit his maximum of 140 points after storming to victory in Spain – but that did not stop him from then going on to win in Wollongong and eyeing a repeat in Dubai.
Indeed, the only two races that he did not win this season were the two that he missed while recovering from the horrific crash in May that left him with a punctured lung, six broken ribs and needing surgery on his smashed left scapula.
Just 98 days after the crash in Singapore, he returned to win the London T100 in August and followed that up with another dominant victory in the French Riviera.
“Every time I race, I feel like I’m getting back to myself. Feeling more confident in the swim, and then building my bike and run,” he said. “This is one of the best unbeaten streaks I’ve been on as a professional, so I just want to keep the momentum going and not give the others even a sniff. Dubai is another great venue for us to race in, which I’m really looking forward to.”
His most likely challengers, looking to bridge the gap ahead of Qatar, are the likes of German Mika Noodt, who finished second to Wilde in both London and Wollongong, Frenchman Mathis Margirier and last year’s T100 champion, Belgian Marten Van Riel, who won in Dubai to seal his title.
The other two athletes in the top ten series standings taking part this week are Sam Dickinson (GB) and (ITA), who are currently in 9th and 10th, respectively.
Prize Money and the race for points
Athletes score 35 points for first place, down to one point for 20th place at each of the series races, with 29 for second, 26 for third and 23 for fourth.
The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final has an increased tally of points available to win, with first place earning 55 points and second place taking 46.
Each athlete’s best four T100 race scores, plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final, will count towards the women’s and men’s T100 World Championship titles.
The series winners following the Qatar showdown will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and collect $200,000 USD from a total prize pool of $2,940,000.
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