Lucy Charles-Barclay excited to continue summer of women's sport
The 31-year-old triathlete will return to the start line in the UK capital a year after retiring from her home race due to injury, and with ambitions of topping the podium.
Charles-Barclay currently sits fifth in the overall T100 Triathlon World Tour standings for the season, with a third place finish in Singapore and fourth place in Vancouver.
She is one of four British athletes in the top 10 of the Pro Women's standings this season, and one of nine taking to the start line at the London T100, speaking to the strength and depth of middle distance triathlon in the country.
And off the back of a successful EURO 2025 campaign for the Lionesses, the ongoing Tour de France Femmes and an upcoming Rugby World Cup on English soil, Charles-Barclay hopes that triathlon can add another memory to a brilliant summer celebrating women in sport.
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"We have so many Brits on the start line and every single one of the women are so strong and want to get on that podium," she said.
"We have such amazing female athletes in the UK at the moment. I watched the final of the EUROs with the Lionesses winning this weekend.
"British women are really showing what we can do and we can see that people want to watch women's sport.
"For us, to deliver that high level performance in triathlon and showing how much we enjoy it is so important to inspire that younger generation.
"It would be amazing to get an all British podium."
Charles-Barclay's ambitions are only elevated by the Professional Triathlon Organisation (PTO), who are supporting the charity 'Women In Tri' around the London T100 by giving them 40 places across its events, to help break down barriers and bring more women to swim, bike, run and triathlons across the UK.
The London-born triathlete was the poster-girl of her home race in 2024 but just three months before, was diagnosed with coeliac disease and nursing an injury, which she admitted impacted her preparation more than she initially believed.
Add that to an strain to her Achilles during the run leg and Charles-Barclay was forced to pull out in the UK capital.
It marked the only race she has not finished in her career and was an especially tough one to take with so many of her friends and family watching on from the sidelines.
"Last year was obviously a really disappointing day for me and it was a real low point in the year," she said.
"Finding out I had coeliac disease, I think I was a bit naïve to my return.
"I thought I had the diagnosis so I would be healthy again, but I didn't anticipate how long it would take to build from that. I really feel like it's taken about a year to get healthy.
"So, my expectations were low coming into this year because I had more injuries last year than I have my entire career, so it was really tough. But I've put that behind me."
Charles-Barclay will look to make amends to her 2024 disappointment on her return to the UK capital on the 9 August this year, in what is set to be a star studded line up.
And with the opportunity for redemption and to put on a show in her home town, it's a race she is cherishing every moment of no matter what might come her way.
"I'm really excited," she said. "I'm feeling so much more positive and healthier this season, I feel like I can take everything in my stride and I'm enjoying it.
"As long as I finish the race I've done better than last year but I'm in really good shape so a podium finish is what I'm hoping for."
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