Lucy Charles-Barclay wins emotional first T100 title on home soil in London a year on from dropping out
Lucy Charles-Barclay claimed her first T100 win in style on home turf as she banished last year's London demons.
The Hertfordshire native had to drop out of the 2024 event in the capital on the running leg, but this year she surged into the lead at the same stage and enjoyed a victory lap.
Charles-Barclay had previously finished on the T100 podium three times but finally made the step up to the top as she headed a British one-two ahead of Kate Waugh.
'I still can't quite believe it, especially after last year, having such a bad year and not finishing,' the 31-year-old said.
'I have completely turned it around and to win here in front of all my friends and family is amazing.
'I think that is maybe the most emotional I have ever been on the finish line, just knowing that all those people that I care about so much got to see me win."
Having set the pace on the 2km swim, Charles-Barclay emerged with a two-second lead over Learmonth, with Waugh and Taylor Knibb within touching distance.
Learmonth moved into an early advantage on the bike but no-one was able to establish a convincing lead with all four taking to the front across the 80km, eight-lap bike section.
Charles-Barclay did give herself a narrow lead heading into the final discipline, with Knibb and Learmonth 16 and 18 seconds behind, respectively.
Waugh was 11 seconds further back, but Charles-Barclay was soon reeled in with Paris Olympian Waugh moving into an 18-second advantage.
Knibb was unable to hold the pace as she dropped back but with Learmonth also fading, she was assured of a podium position.
Charles-Barclay refused to allow Waugh to extend her gap, and as they headed onto the fifth and final lap of the 18km run, the leader began to falter.
Eventually, Charles-Barclay was able to overtake, and with Waugh unable to go with her, she was able to savour a maiden victory.
She added: 'I really feel like this year I am getting back to my old self. I have just been really consistent all year in my training, and I feel like we are finally starting to see this in racing.
'Coming into this race, I knew I was in really good shape. I had an amazing training camp leading into this, and I have been away with my family, who have supported me 100 per cent and helped me to get into my best shape for this race.
'I knew I was in really good shape, I just had to play it down because last year was so bad. Just to be able to pull it all together and have a solid day all around feels amazing and getting the win makes me so happy.'
www.t100triathlon.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jets first drive on offense offered glimpse into ideal Tanner Engstrand offense
New York Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand was anxious to watch his first-team offense take the field in Saturday's preseason game versus the Green Bay Packers. After a string of disappointing practices, the offense looked effective and efficient while immediately setting the tone in an eventual 30-10 exhibition Week 1 victory. It looked exactly how Engstand wanted the offense to look. Justin Fields and the first-string offense strung together a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive that lasted over five minutes. On the third play from scrimmage, Fields avoided a three-and-out by completing a six-yard pass on third-and-5. On a second-and-10, the Jets' starting QB hit fullback Andrew Beck for 12 yards. Braelon Allen then rushed for 14 yards and Fields got the Jets in Packers territory with a 16-yard completion to Beck. That made it three explosive plays in a row, with a mixture of air and ground. A handful of plays later, Fields rushed for a 13-yard TD from a muddied pocket on third-and-5, capping a strong drive with a touchdown. It was precisely what Engstrand hopes to see throughout 2025. The dual-threat Fields was impactful both as a passer and rusher. Everyone got involved in the passing attack, and the backfield created explosive gains. The Jets' opening drive of the preseason displayed Engstrand's ideal offense. This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets first offensive drive offered look into Tanner Engstrand offense
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Centre-back Daland in talks to leave Cardiff
Jesper Daland looks set to leave Cardiff City after head coach Brian Barry-Murphy revealed the centre-back has held talks with other clubs. The Bluebirds paid around £3.5m to sign the Norwegian from Cercle Brugge last year. But following Cardiff's relegation to League One, Daland has only made one substitute appearance. The 25-year-old was left out of the squad for Tuesday's EFL Cup win over Swindon Town because of his transfer discussions with other clubs. Barry-Murphy did not know whether Daland will be leaving on a permanent or loan basis, but said: "Jesper's in conversations with other clubs, so he's not available." Asked if a deal was close to being completed, he said: "I don't know. I don't know how close." Cardiff have only signed one player this summer, goalkeeper Nathan Trott on loan from Copenhagen, while 11 have left since their relegation from the Championship. Cardiff hold off Swindon to progress Latest Cardiff City news, analysis and fan views
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Birthday boy Ben gets Warrington Rylands their first win
WARRINGTON Rylands' first home match of the new season yielded their first victory on Tuesday night. A solitary first-half goal decided the contest against Bamber Bridge at Gorsey Lane, with Ben Hardcastle notching just after the half-hour mark on his 31st birthday. After George Waring had worked hard to win the ball back high up the field, the ball broke to the midfielder who smashed home from just inside the penalty area. Having taken a point from their season opener at Rushall Olympic on Saturday, it is a solid four points from a possible six to start the Northern Premier League Premier Division campaign for Neil Reynolds' side. What was the main talking point? Under the guidance of Jamie Milligan, Bamber Bridge have established themselves as a team that like to keep the ball on the floor at all costs. While it can have spectacular results, however, it can also be their downfall as it was on this occasion. Many of Rylands' clearest attacking moments came from pressing high and forcing mistakes in the Brig rearguard - they had an early warning when Alex Kiwomya tried flicking to an unaware George Waring as opposed to shooting, but it was one they did not heed as Hardcastle's opener came from a botched attempt to play out from a goal kick just after the half-hour mark. That is not to say the rest of the game without incident - far from it, with both sides enjoying moments of joy during a lively first half in particular. Rylands could legitimately say they could have been two goals up inside the first 10 minutes and will argue the margin could have been greater, but the result adds to a solid start to the campaign for Neil Reynolds' men. Having begun slowly last season, there are no such issues thus far at Gorsey Lane. Which players stood out? The Rylands midfield is functional but fluid at the same time, with the ageless Dean Furman acting as a fire blanket to release Hardcastle and Ben Hough to get involved higher up the field. Further back, skipper James Neild was his usual assured presence at the back - deployed on the left of a back three, he never seemed to be forced out of second gear by anything the visitors sent his way. When he did have to exert himself after the break, Neild made two critical interventions to prevent Bamber Bridge from troubling goalkeeper Luke Pilling, particularly stretching acrobatically to stop Jamie Allen from reaching a ball over the top. 'A really professional performance' - what they said Hardcastle missed from the penalty spot during Saturday's draw at Rushall Olympic but post-match, Reynolds said his ability to bounce back and make the ultimate difference three days later spoke to his "strength of character." Overall, he hailed "a really professional performance" from his side, "They caused us a lot of problems – you could see why they had a good win on Saturday and we had to be at our very best," he said. "I thought it was an excellent performance – we knew they played with a midfield diamond and we tried to nullify it. "We broke it a couple of times in the first half and Alex Kiwomya got in, as did Ben Hardcastle. "Massive credit to Ben Hardcastle – his head was in the bin on Saturday after missing a penalty but the strength of character of him to come back and grab the winner. That's what he does. "We gave him a little more freedom but all over the park, it was a really professional performance."
