PTO World #2 Taylor Knibb reminded every one of her credentials over the middle distance on Saturday, as the American romped home to victory at the San Francisco T100.
Having spent the season so far focused on short-course racing, minus a mini excursion to Oceanside, the two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion made her presence felt at the third round of the T100 Triathlon World Tour.
Now, however, her focus returns to the Paris Olympic Games, which take place in the French capital at the end of July. There, Knibb will compete in both cycling and triathlon events, with medals in both disciplines on the cards.
“It did not feel easy”
Modest as ever at her finish line interview, Knibb said the win wasn’t as straightforward as she made it look, with her bike handling an area that she identified as a place to improve.
“It did not feel easy, but it’s a great course and atmosphere out there and I am really grateful to have done this race today. The swim, I dove in a little late and there was just bodies. I was given the advice that when you jump in, people tend to disperse here, but that didn’t happen, so I just committed to getting to the end.
“Imogen [Simmonds] got like 30 seconds on the rest of us in the swim, but I think seeing the men’s race really helped, because I kind of knew everyone would be up there and you never really have the opportunity to have the whole field exiting the water at the same time.
“On the bike, I told myself that I needed to know what 20 metres looked like, because I only have 45 seconds to pass. I wasn’t descending very well, I wasn’t taking the corners well, but I just tried to get better each lap and on the last one I nailed the uphill corner, which took five attempts, but I did it!’
“I just wanted to execute a good run”
Sometimes typecast as no more than a great cyclist, Knibb well and truly proved that wrong in San Francisco, as she does in every race, but producing a brilliant performance across the board.
After the race, Knibb said that a strong run was one of her priorities coming into the competition, adding that she had set a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) for each section of the course.
“I just wanted to execute a good run and run well. I wanted to see what the situation was after each lap and then make decisions from there.
“I had RPE’s for each portion of the course, that would vary based on where I was on the course.”
“The focus turns to Paris”
So far this season, Knibb has dominated at both IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside and the San Francisco T100, but had more mixed results on the World Triathlon Championship Series, finishing second in Yokohama and 11th in Cagliari.
A real contender for a medal in both the individual and mixed team relay event in Paris, the former World U23 Champion says that she has a plan for the coming months, with her focus firmly set on the Olympic Games.
“I have a very detailed plan that I do not know, but this was a good stop to give me room to play towards the back half of the year, but now the focus turns to Paris.”
