Double Podium at the T100 Dubai Grand Finals

Dubai, UAE, November 17, 2024 - At the inaugural T100 Grand Finals, held in Dubai, Ashleigh Gentle and Julie Derron were celebrating on the podium, both delivering an outstanding race and ending the T100 Series on a high. 

Fans were expecting an epic battle between Taylor Knibb (US), who had won four of the previous races, and Ashleigh Gentle, who had won two and came third and fourth in two further races. Julie Derron had kept up a silver streak, placing second in the three races she had competed in. 

Diving into the water, which reached a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius, Gentle found herself in the front pack, a position no one had expected her to be in. She exited the water 12 seconds behind leader Perez Sala and had her eyes on Knibb and Derron, who were a few seconds ahead of her. 

Once on the bike, Derron and Gentle moved into first and second place before Knibb moved to the front 10km into the bike leg. By the mid-way point, and with temperatures pushing the high 30s, Derron still found herself in second, while Gentle had fallen back into third with 1:05 to make up if she wanted to retake the lead. As T2 approached, Knibb had a 2:46 lead on Gentle, who was back into second, followed by Derron. 

Initially, Gentle was out to catch Knibb, looking strong and overtaking Derron after a slower transition. But with the heat getting to her, Gentle stopped a few kilometers before the finish, holding her stomach and watching any hopes of the title slip away. 

Ultimately, Knibb took the win and overall inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour title. Derron finished two minutes later, claiming her fourth-second place in the series. Gentle crossed the finish line less than 30 seconds after Derron, celebrating a bronze medal and overall second place in the series. 

Once recovered from the race, Gentle said:

“I went for the win, and it was so painful. I gave it everything and got third in the end, but I’m proud of my efforts, I guess. It is pretty brutal. When I wasn’t feeling so good, and Derron flew past me on the run, it was super soul-crushing, but I did what I could.”

Derron, who won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said:

“Another second place in the T-100 series, which is really competitive, so this is a great result. It was a very tough race with the conditions and about 35 degrees. It’s been a long year, but I’m just happy to be up there consistently and showing great performances."

Paula Findlay (CAN) crossed the finish line in 11th place after 3:38.42 and landed herself in 10th overall place in the series. 

10th Place overall for Frederik Funk

In the men’s grand series final, Frederik Funk (GER) celebrated a seventh-place finish in a time of 3:12.49, resulting in the German and newly-wed claiming 10th place in the overall race series. 

Funk was in good positions throughout the race, leaving the water in the 13-man strong chase pack. Funk put in the work on the bike and came into T2 as the first athlete with a 0.01-second lead ahead of Rico Bogen (GER). On the run, Marten Van Riel (BEL), Bogen, and Alistair Brownlee (GBR) proved too strong for Funk, ultimately settling and finishing in seventh place. 

The T100 Triathlon World Tour

Announced earlier this year in March, the T100 Triathlon World Tour is a joint effort between the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon. The series, comprised of seven races (Miami, Singapore, California, London, Ibiza, Las Vegas, and Dubai), features races consisting of a 2km swim, 80km bike, and 18km run. At the launch, 40 of the world’s leading long-distance triathletes had signed up and committed to competing at a minimum of five of the races. 

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