Kat Matthews was unstoppable at IRONMAN Texas last weekend, and now her greatest rival has spoken out about her record-breaking run.

US great Taylor Knibb finished in second place on Saturday behind Matthews, who recorded the fastest ever finish by a woman in an IRONMAN-branded full-distance race.

Matthews has already spoken out about how the fierce competition from the rest of the field inspired her achievement – and now Knibb has spoken about an incredible race at The Woodlands.

Knibb pays homage to Ironman racing

Posting on her Instagram account, she wrote: “Huge congrats to @katr_matthews for the win— a truly impressive and inspiring race all around— and congrats to @lisa.perterer for rounding out the podium.

“More than anything, Saturday was a great reminder of the distance and event and all that it entails. I’m even more excited to get back to work and keep working to figure more out.

“A massive thank you to everyone on my team for getting me to the start and finish line. It is far from an easy task and probably felt quite far away at times these past few weeks/months.

“Thank you also for all of the support on the course— it’s a long day for everyone involved, but very much appreciated.”

Texas was just one stop along the road towards Knibb’s ultimate goal this year – finishing top of the podium at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona in October.

The 27-year-old finished fourth in the 2023 IRONMAN World Championship in her debut appearance at the distance and she is gearing her training towards going all the way this year.

Best of both

A three-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, Knibb is determined to achieve her aim – and her rivalry with Matthews just looks like helping to get the best out of both athletes.

It was a third consecutive IRONMAN Texas win for Matthews, who finished second behind Knibb at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship last year.

And with both women going for glory in Kona later this year, their rivalry looks like being one to watch for the rest of 2025.