IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship start list: Taylor Knibb faces stellar field in threepeat bid

Taylor Knibb will face a stellar field as she bids to complete a hat-trick of IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship victories in New Zealand on Saturday December 14 (local time).

The 26-year-old US superstar is still basking in the glory of being crowned the first T100 Series World Champion after her epic Grand Final victory in Dubai last weekend. But there is one major prize still left to go for this season.

Knibb was spectacular in claiming 70.3 Worlds victories in St George in 2022 and Lahti in 2023, and she will start hot favourite for the threepeat in Taupō. She is unbeaten in every middle-distance race she lined up for so far in 2024.

Kat Matthews chasing title and huge bonus

Kat Matthews (GBR) and Imogen Simmonds (CHE) joined Knibb on the 2023 podium and will both be on the start line in Taupō, hoping to go at least one better than last year. Matthews has had an incredibly successful year of racing, highlighted by finishing as runner-up at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France in September.

Kat also currently sits second in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings and needs to overturn a 257-point deficit to leader Jackie Hering (USA) to scoop a massive $200k bonus. Hering has completed her full complement of IRONMAN Pro Series races so can only swap out a lower scoring race, while Matthews still has one IRONMAN 70.3 score to add to her total, meaning the British athlete has a huge payday on the line as well as titles. Simmonds meanwhile has had a year of mixed results but having finished third twice at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, she is never one to count out on the biggest stage.
 
2024 Olympic silver medalist Julie Derron (CHE) has completed three IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons, finishing on the podium each time including victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland Rapperswil-Jona this year. Derron will be one to watch in Taupō and will look to follow in the footsteps of her recently retired compatriot Daniela Ryf, a five-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion.

Gentle and Findlay add spice

Australian duo Ashleigh Gentle and Ellie Salthouse and Canada’s Paula Findlay are three of the best middle-distance specialists in the world and will provide fierce competition to the likes of Knibb, Matthews, Simmonds and Derron.

Gentle is a four-time IRONMAN 70.3 champion and two-time Olympian, while Salthouse is an 18-time IRONMAN 70.3 champion with victories in 2024 including IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder and IRONMAN 70.3 Melbourne. Like Salthouse in Boulder, Findlay has also won IRONMAN Pro Series races, her two victories coming at the Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship St. George triathlon and the IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant triathlon. Findlay has also tasted success at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race, finishing as runner-up in 2022.

Start List – who is racing 70.3 Worlds?

IRONMAN Pro Series reaches climax

With the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon serving as the last opportunity to score points in the IRONMAN Pro Series, eight out of the top 10 women, including all of the top six in the series standings will line up in Taupō. Hering, Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK), Danielle Lewis (USA), and Alice Alberts (USA), who sit first, third, fourth, and fifth respectively in the standings, have all completed their full complement of IRONMAN Pro Series races and will be therefore hoping to swap out their lowest score for a higher one earned in Taupō. Meanwhile, Lotte Wilms (NLD) and home-favourite Hannah Berry (NZL), sixth and eighth respectively, still have two IRONMAN 70.3 scores apiece to add to their overall totals, meaning strong scores at this weekend’s IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia Asia-Pacific Championship triathlon, and then again Taupō are vital if they are to elevate to podium positions in the end-of-year IRONMAN Pro Series standings.