American superstar and Paris Gold medal contender Taylor Knibb will take on PTO World #1 Ashleigh Gentle in a battle for the ages next month at the San Francisco T100.
The pair, who are amongst the main contenders for the T100 Triathlon World Tour title this year, last went head-to-head at the PTO Tour US Open in 2023, where Knibb came out on top on home soil.
In San Francisco, Knibb will once again look to take down Gentle, but will have to be at her best to beat the Australian, who will be racing off the back of a strong victory in Singapore.
LCB missing, but still plenty of challengers
Whilst Lucy Charles-Barclay, who has finished on the podium at the last two races of the tour, is not racing in San Francisco, there are several other big names set to race and take on Knibb and Gentle.
Miami T100 winner India Lee will start after a DNF in Singapore, with former IRONMAN World Champion Chelsea Sodaro another athlete looking to bounce back after a tough day out in South East Asia.
Kat Matthews, the recent IRONMAN Texas Winner, joins Lee, Lucy Byram and Emma Pallant-Browne as part of a very strong British contingent Stateside, with all four capable of impacting the race and finishing on the podium.
Other podium contenders include German duo Anne Haug and Laura Philipp, who will race their first T100 Tour events of the season, plus Canadian Paula Findlay, fourth in Miami and the recent winner at IRONMAN 70.3 St. George.
Who won’t be racing in San Francisco?
Of the 20 contracted athletes on the T100 Tour, 16 have been confirmed, with four wildcard spots to be handed out in the coming weeks to other athletes ahead of the race.
Alongside Charles-Barclay, Olympic Champion Flora Duffy, American short course star Taylor Spivey and Brit Holly Lawrence, who recently announced her pregnancy, are absent from the start list.
With a number of top women receiving wildcards to the first two races in Miami and Singapore, it will be fascinating to see who gets the nod for the third round in San Francisco.
The full list of contracted T100 Tour athletes racing is as follows:
- Ashleigh Gentle (AUS)
- Taylor Knibb (USA)
- Anny Haug (GER)
- Daniela Ryf (SUI)
- Laura Philipp (GER)
- Paula Findlay (CAN)
- Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR)
- Kat Matthews (GBR)
- India Lee (GBR)
- Chelsea Sodaro (USA)
- Imogen Simmonds (SUI)
- Lucy Byram (GBR)
- Amelia Watkinson (NZL)
- Marjolaine Pierre (FRA)
- Skye Moench (USA)
- Tamara Jewett (CAN)
