Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) and Chelsea Sodaro (USA) are the highest-profile athletes missing from the stellar line-up for the T100’s women’s Grand Final in Dubai on Saturday.
The IRONMAN World champions from 2023 and 2022 respectively have both announced that they won’t be on the start line for the T100 Triathlon World Tour’s finale and it means both will miss out on an automatic T100 contract for 2025 which go to the top 10 in the standings.
LCB is actually in 10th going into the race (Sodaro is 31st) but with inflated points up for grabs in Dubai – from 55 for the win to four for 20th, it would take a whole raft of DNFs for her to stay there.
Both will still be in Dubai and offering their insightful analysis on the race broadcast.
Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR) and Amelia Watkinson (NZL) are the only other athletes from the current top 15 in the standings to miss out.
Short-term pain, long-term gain
Writing on Instagram, Charles-Barclay – who has made the T100 her focus this season only for injury to impact those plans – explained: “Excited to be heading out to Dubai for my first shot at commentary for the @t100triathlon and to be part of the pre-race build up 🔥
“My priority right now is looking after my long-term health, and there were some important questions that needed answers.
“I’ve taken the time to really understand my situation and complete the necessary testing for my celiac diagnosis – much of which wasn’t possible during intense training. I’m optimistic about the future, and we now have a much clearer understanding, though it’s hard not to be on the start line.
“On a positive note, my calf injury is now healed, and I’m back to running. I’ll even be joining the 5km Music Run after the pro race on Saturday.”
‘Time for a rebuild’
And Sodaro revealed this week that she’s drawn a line under her 2024 campaign, posting on Instagram: “Calling it a season! ✌🏻
“This year has brought a lot of change and a lot of growth. Big move ➡️ Big sponsor change ➡️ New coach ➡️ World Champs Podium 😅 It’s been a ride.
“My body is telling me that it’s time for a rebuild so I’m going to listen. 🫡 The biggest thanks to my amazing team and awesome partners for all of the support along the way. I already can’t wait to get back to what we do best in 2025. 🏝️ 🌈 😉
“I’ll still be in Dubai this week to celebrate the @t100triathlon season and some of the best athletes in our sport. 🙌🏻”
T100 Dubai women’s start list
Given the absentees, extra wildcards have been added to bring the list up to 20. And they are Kate Curran (GBR), Marlene De Boer (NED), Diede Diederiks (NED) and Sara Perez Sala (ESP).
The overwhelming favourite in Dubai – for both the race win and overall success – will be American superstar Taylor Knibb who has triumphed in all three of her T100 outings this season.
So the start list as it stands – and, as ever, subject to change, is as follows:
| Bib number (swim cap colour) | Athlete | T100 standing | T100 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (orange) | Taylor Knibb (USA) | 1 | 105 |
| 2 (purple) | Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) | 2 | 92 |
| 3 (red) | India Lee (GBR) | 3 | 74 |
| 4 (green) | Imogen Simmonds (SUI) | 4 | 66 |
| 5 (yellow) | Laura Philipp (GER) | 5 | 63 |
| 6 | Kat Matthews (GBR) | 6 | 61 |
| 7 | Paula Findlay (CAN) | 7 | 60 |
| 8 | Lucy Byram (GBR) | 8 | 60 |
| 9 | Julie Derron (SUI) | 9 | 56 |
| 11 (white) | Flora Duffy (BER) | 11 | 55 |
| 14 (pink) | Taylor Spivey (USA) | 12 | 45 |
| 10 | Tamara Jewett (CAN) | 13 | 43 |
| 12 | Anne Haug (GER) | 16 | 37 |
| 15 | Kaidi Kivioja (EST) | 18 | 29 |
| 16 | Laura Madsen (DEN) | 22 | 25 |
| 17 | Kate Curran (GBR) | 27 | 17 |
| 18 | Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) | 33 | 14 |
| 19 | Marlene De Boer (NED) | 37 | 10 |
| 20 | Diede Diederiks (NED) | 40 | 9 |
| 21 | Sara Perez Sala (ESP) | 43 | 7 |
Points on offer and those end-of-season bonuses
As we mentioned, there are extra points up for grabs in Dubai – 55 points for the win versus 35 normally, down to four points for 20th position versus the normal one point.
The full breakdown is 55-45-40-35-30-27-24-21-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4.
They’ll be added to the points above – and remember there are some athletes not competing in Dubai who could still finish in the top 20, full list is here.
And then the T100 series end prize purse will be distributed as follows, an extra $1million:
- 1. $210,000
- 2. $140,000
- 3. $90,000
- 4. $75,000
- 5. $60,000
- 6. $55,000
- 7. $50,000
- 8. $45,000
- 9. $40,000
- 10. $35,000
- 11. $30,000
- 12. $26,000
- 13. $24,000
- 14. $22,000
- 15. $20,000
- 16,. $18,000
- 17. $15,000
- 18. $15,000
- 19. $15,000
- 20. $15,000
What time does the race start and how can I watch?
In Dubai, the women’s race will take place on Saturday 16 November, with the gun going off at 13:30 local time. This corresponds to 09:30 in Europe, 04:30 on the East Coast and 01:30 on the West Coast.
And the broadcast is available globally on PTO+, on Discovery+ in Europe, on YouTube or via regional broadcasters (see the full list here on the T100 website).
