Taylor Knibb aiming to find freedom in success at T100 San Francisco
The American will race her first T100 of the season on home soil after winning all four of her races to take the inaugural world title in 2024.
After becoming a double-sport Olympian at Paris 2024, racing in the triathlon and the cycling time trial, Knibb has shown her prowess but now faces a target on her back ahead of a new season.
'[Being a target is] a privilege, so I'll take it. But I don't think it helps me in any way, unless I harness it effectively,' the 27-year-old explained.
'Success can either trap you or free you. It's easier for it to trap you. That's the question I had to ask myself and my team is how do we give this freedom.
'It gave me the freedom to be able to say, 'No, it's not smart for me to go to Singapore and still get to race the series.' That's one of the biggest freedoms it's given me so far.'
🔥 SAN FRANCISCO T100 WOMEN'S START LIST 🔥
Eleven contracted athletes step up to the San Francisco start line on 31 May for the second stop in the Race To Qatar 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/5x276I9Bsz
Knibb achieved a silver medal in the mixed relay triathlon at Paris 2024, but she was left disappointed with her individual events.
'My biggest goal was actually the individual race, which was a complete disaster,' she assessed.
'I've had to process it a lot and work through it. It was a massive disappointment.
'With my individual races, people like to show you the silver lining - no pun intended. They're like, 'But you still got a medal.' And it's like, well, I didn't have the two races that I wanted to in the individual races.
'You just keep learning and keep growing. I hope to be in LA so we'll see.'
For the three-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion, the T100 events provide a perfect event to continue to hone her craft.
Knibb believes the series raises the level of the sport across the board, making it important for leading athletes like her to remain part of it.
'I'm very grateful for the T100 because they are giving the pros what they want, which is more fair racing. And second of all, it's forcing Ironman to be bigger and better,' she explained.
'It's like a rising tide lifts all ships. That's what the T100 series is doing for the sport across WTCS (World Triathlon Championship Series) racing and Ironman racing. That's why it's important for me to race it and be a part of it.
'The T100 goal is to bring triathlon to mainstream media and be a bigger sport. If there are more fans, more people watch WTCS and Ironman racing. If the T100 wins, the whole sport wins.'
Watch the world's top 20 female and top 20 male triathletes race live in the San Francisco T100 over the legendary Escape From Alcatraz course on Saturday 31 May. The broadcast starts at 0545 local time, 1345 in the UK, with the races starting 15 minutes later. You can tune in live for free globally on PTO+ or watch on partners channels such as TNT Sports 2 in the UK, Max or Discovery+ in Europe, or beIN in North America. For more details visit www.T100Triathlon.com
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