American superstar Taylor Knibb won the women’s IRONMAN World Championship after an extraordinary late reversal in Kona, passing defending champion Solveig Løvseth inside the final mile of the marathon as the Norwegian became unable to run.
Løvseth had looked on course to retain her title after overtaking Knibb with around 8km remaining. But within sight of victory she slowed dramatically, struggling even to walk, and Knibb reclaimed the lead to complete a remarkable turnaround from her own heartbreak here last year – and this comes just four weeks after she won a fourth 70.3 World title.
Laura Philipp (GER) finished second, 3:06 behind, with Julie Derron (SUI) completing the podium on her Kona debut at +9:57 despite a three-minute drafting penalty.
Løvseth somehow got back on her feet and was able to walk over the finish line in a scene which will be added to Kona folklore.
RELATED CONTENT: The IRONMAN World Championship as it happened
Swim – LCB clear as Philipp loses ground
Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) made it seven swim leads from seven Kona starts, emerging from increasingly choppy waters in 51:29 with a 1:26 advantage over Knibb.
The Briton had predicted that rough conditions could play to her strengths, and she wasted little time putting her rivals under pressure. Knibb initially set the pace in the chase pack, with Marta Sanchez (ESP) later joining her towards the front.
A big swell disrupted the back of that group late in the swim, with Kat Matthews (GBR) and Løvseth among those losing contact. Derron, meanwhile, remained well placed on her Kona debut.
Sanchez emerged third in 52:59, followed by Rachel Zilinskas (USA) and Imogen Simmonds (SUI), with Derron sixth in 53:09. Hannah Berry (NZL), Pâmella Oliveira (BRZ) and Daisy Davies (GBR) completed the closely packed chasers before a gap to Lotte Wilms (NED) in tenth.
Matthews was 14th in 54:57, leaving her 3:28 behind Charles-Barclay – a considerably better position relative to the swim leader than last year. Paula Findlay (CAN) followed in 55:02, while Løvseth clocked 55:29, exactly four minutes off the lead.
The biggest early setback among the leading contenders belonged to Philipp. The German emerged 30th in 1:00:03, facing an 8:34 deficit before the bike began.
So Charles-Barclay in familiar territory but how long could she hold off Knibb on the bike?
Bike – Knibb ahead after Charles-Barclay battle
The roads were initially wet but dried quickly as heat and humidity increased. Knibb, opting for a ventilated road helmet rather than a TT helmet, steadily erased her swim deficit and passed Charles-Barclay around the 33-mile mark.
The Briton refused to let her escape, bridging back and briefly reclaiming first before Knibb responded. The pair continued exchanging the lead, with Knibb’s 54-second advantage at halfway disappearing little more than ten miles later.
Behind them, Simmonds and Derron led the pursuit, but the climb towards Hawi broke up the chasing athletes. Matthews lost significant ground, while Berry, Findlay and Lisa Perterer (AUT) remained prominent.
Derron’s hopes suffered a major setback when she received a three-minute drafting penalty. Her deficit grew from 3:56 to 7:36 across the stop, with Regan Hollioake (AUS) similarly slipping from 4:19 to 7:59 after serving her own penalty.
Knibb eventually made her move stick on the return towards town. With 20km remaining, she had stretched her lead over Charles-Barclay to 2:32, before completing the bike in 4:40:07. That was around nine minutes slower than her split last year, reflecting very different conditions.
Charles-Barclay followed after a 4:45:12 ride, but Løvseth’s 4:42:12 split brought her back into the heart of the title battle. Having been more than six minutes behind at 138km, the Norwegian reached the bike finish third at +4:48.
Simmonds was fourth at +5:00, with Berry (+5:09), Perterer (+5:23) and Findlay (+5:24) closely grouped behind. Derron arrived eighth at +9:11, followed by Hollioake at +9:40 and Philipp at +9:52.
There was disappointment for Davies, whose Kona debut ended during the bike.
Run – Knibb wins after devastating late twist
Knibb started the marathon with a 3:06 advantage over Charles-Barclay, while Løvseth’s strong finish to the bike had brought her into third. Philipp faced a much bigger task in tenth at +9:52, with Derron eighth at +9:11 following her penalty.
For much of the opening half, Knibb appeared to be managing her advantage well. After 6.5 miles she remained 2:40 clear of Charles-Barclay, with Løvseth at +3:43.
Behind them, Philipp was mounting a superb recovery. Having started the marathon nearly ten minutes down, she moved into fourth as Derron endured a difficult spell and slipped to seventh.
There was heartbreak for Charles-Barclay at around 28km, almost exactly where her challenge had ended last year. She came to a standstill while in third and was subsequently confirmed out of the race.
Knibb was also beginning to struggle and appeared to be vomiting as Løvseth closed. With around 8km remaining, the Norwegian moved into the lead at the same aid station where Vincent Luis had overtaken Magnus Ditlev in the men’s race.
Knibb tried to respond immediately, but Løvseth pulled clear. With her advantage growing to just over a minute, the defending champion appeared to be heading for both another world title and the IRONMAN Pro Series crown.
Then came a scarcely believable final twist.
Inside the last mile, Løvseth suddenly became unable to run and struggled even to walk. Knibb came past to reclaim first place, followed by Philipp, as the Norwegian’s hopes unravelled, almost within sight of the finish.
Knibb crossed the line looking stunned, sealing her first IRONMAN World Championship title in circumstances that reversed last year’s dramatic outcome, when her own late collapse had helped open the door for Løvseth.
Philipp followed 3:06 later after a brilliantly judged marathon, while Derron found another gear late on to secure third at +9:57.
The celebrations were tempered by concern for Løvseth. Having briefly tried to walk towards the finish, she was then back on the ground.
But remarkably she then got back on her feet and somehow made it across the finish line, rightfully earning incredible acclaim in scenes which will go down in IRONMAN history. She was down to eighth but that didn’t matter.
IRONMAN World Championship 2026 results
Saturday October 10th, 2026 – Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, 3.8km / 180km / 42.2km
PRO Women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Knibb | USA | 52:55 | 4:40:07 | 2:57:46 | 8:36:29 |
| 2 | Laura Philipp | GER | 1:00:03 | 4:43:00 | 2:50:43 | 8:39:34 |
| 3 | Julie Derron | SUI | 53:09 | 4:49:35 | 2:58:54 | 8:46:25 |
| 4 | Kat Matthews | GBR | 54:57 | 4:55:34 | 2:52:50 | 8:49:38 |
| 5 | Imogen Simmonds | SUI | 53:08 | 4:45:21 | 3:07:45 | 8:51:44 |
| 6 | Lisa Perterer | AUT | 54:34 | 4:43:54 | 3:08:31 | 8:52:54 |
| 7 | Hannah Berry | NZL | 53:12 | 4:45:23 | 3:15:26 | 8:59:41 |
| 8 | Solveig Løvseth | NOR | 55:29 | 4:42:12 | 3:19:08 | 9:02:09 |
| 9 | Anne-Sophie Pierre | FRA | 1:04:01 | 4:52:08 | 3:02:25 | 9:03:49 |
| 10 | Grace Thek | AUS | 57:12 | 5:01:04 | 3:02:41 | 9:06:37 |
