Triathlete Knibb wins Ironman after Løvseth falls — The Guardian

American triathlete Taylor Knibb won the women’s Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States. She took the lead about a kilometer before the finish after Norwegian defending champion Solveig Løvseth, who had held a lead of more than a minute, began to wobble and fell. The Guardian reports.

Finish-line drama

Løvseth pulled ahead of Knibb during the final 10 kilometers of the marathon stage. With one mile remaining, the Norwegian had a lead of more than a minute, but soon lost her balance and fell. Knibb passed her about a kilometer before the finish.

Løvseth recovered and finished eighth. She walked to the finish line, smiling and greeting fans. The competition took place in particularly high humidity, and several contenders did not finish or experienced a sharp deterioration in their condition.

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Championship results

Knibb completed the distance, consisting of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km cycling stage and a 42.2 km run, in 8 hours 36 minutes 29 seconds. Germany’s Laura Philipp finished second, three minutes behind the winner.

A year earlier, Knibb withdrew from the race a few kilometers before the finish while leading. This time, when Løvseth moved ahead, the American did not immediately fight for the lead. After the finish, Knibb said that the experience of the previous race influenced her decision to focus on reaching the finish.

In the men’s competition, 37-year-old Frenchman Vincent Luis became world champion in his debut start in Kona. He recorded a time of 7 hours 47 minutes 27 seconds and finished ahead of Norwegian Gustav Iden, the 2022 winner, who finished in 7 hours 49 minutes 3 seconds.