Taylor Knibb Headlines Womens Start List T100 Dubai

American Taylor Knibb will go head-to-head with Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle in the climax to the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour, as the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon confirmed the women’s line up for the first Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final on 16-17 November. 

Three-time T100 winner Knibb is currently top of the T100 series standings with a win or second place in Dubai on Saturday 16 November enough for her to be crowned the first ever T100 Triathlon World Champion. 

If two-time T100 winner Gentle were to win and Knibb comes third or worse, the T100women’s title would be heading down under. Whoever scores the T100 series victory will not only be awarded World Champion status by triathlon’s international governing body, World Triathlon, but will also take away a cool $210,000 for topping the standings.

Also in the mix will be Britain’s India Lee, Kat Matthews, Lucy Byram and Lucy Charles-Barclay, Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds, Germany’s Laura Philipp and Canada’s Paula Findlay – who all have a chance of finishing on the T100 series podium, with increased points available for the final to up the ante [55 pts for the win versus 35 pts normally, down to 4 pts for 20th position versus the normal 1 pt].

There will also be more than 20 athletes on the start line for the first time this year, thanks to five wildcard athletes who have qualified during the season. These include: Haley Chura (USA), Kaidi Kivioja (EST), Laura Madsen (DEN), Grace Thek (AUS) and Julie Derron (SWI), who finished second in Ibiza and Lake Las Vegas and is sure to be a race contender in Dubai. 

The full list of contracted women and wildcards in the order they appear in the current T100 standings is here and includes: 

1. Taylor Knibb (USA)
2. Ashleigh Gentle (AUS)
3. India Lee (GBR)
4. Imogen Simmonds (SWI)
5. Laura Philipp (GER)
6. Kat Matthews (GBR)
7. Lucy Byram (GBR)
8. Paula Findlay (CAN)
9. Julie Derron (SWI) 
10. Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR)
11. Flora Duffy (BER)
12. Taylor Spivey (USA)
13. Tamara Jewett (CAN)
14. Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR)
15. Amelia Watkinson (NZL)
16. Anne Haug (GER)
17. Haley Chura (USA) 
18. Kaidi Kivioja (EST) 
19. Laura Madsen (DEN)
20. Grace Thek (AUS) 
21. Chelsea Sodaro (USA)
22. Marjolaine Pierre (FRA)