TRIATHLON – BAHRAIN Victorious 13’s top triathletes are set to compete today in the Pro Dubai T100 in the UAE – the penultimate stop on the 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour before December’s world championship final in Qatar.
Set to battle in the men’s race are Belgians Jelle Geens and Marten Van Riel along with Frenchmen Leo Bergere and Vincent Luis, while in the women’s event are Briton India Lee and American Taylor Knibb. New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde and Britain’s Kate Waugh – both former Bahrain Victorious 13 members – touched down in Dubai this week with one goal in mind: extend their commanding leads in the Race to Qatar.
Wilde has been on an extraordinary streak – five wins from five starts across Singapore, London, the French Riviera, Spain, and Wollongong. It’s a remarkable comeback story for the Kiwi star, who was racing against time itself after a horror bike crash in Japan in May left him with a punctured lung, six broken ribs, and surgery on his left scapula.
“When you’re stuck in a hospital bed after an operation, you’re like, well, can you get back to the level you were in Singapore?” said Wilde. “Just to be able to get back to the start line and race and have that confidence to get back, I’m super excited for that. I’m just taking every race as my opportunity and not taking them for granted, just getting out there and getting amongst it.”
Standing between Wilde and a perfect six-for-six record are some formidable challengers, led by Geens – the Vancouver champion who sits second in the standings. He will be hunting for the win that could reignite his title hopes, while Germany’s Mika Noodt in third place cannot be discounted.
On the women’s side, Waugh has been equally impressive, finishing on the podium in every T100 race she’s competed in this season and claiming victories in Singapore and most recently Wollongong to establish a nine-point lead over compatriot and two-time Ironman World Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay.
With Charles-Barclay not racing in Dubai, Waugh will have a golden opportunity to extend her advantage heading into the Qatar finale.
“I’ve been doing triathlon for a very, very long time and I feel like things are finally coming together and I can start to show the work I’ve put in over the years,” said Waugh. “T100 has just allowed me to show that in a new series and it was a new distance for me. I’m incredibly happy and hopefully I can continue on the trajectory I’ve been on this season.”
Looking ahead to the tight championship race, Waugh added: “It’s super tight and I think it’s going to require people to have their best performances between now and Qatar. It definitely makes for an exciting end to the year in Qatar and hopefully I can bring my best self to that.”
Also in the mix: Knibb, who is currently fifth on the season’s standings, along with Switzerland’s Julie Derron, and a strong British contingent including Jessica Learmonth and wildcard entry Georgia Taylor-Brown, another former Bahrain Victorious 13 star.
The race’s 100km course features a two-km swim, an 80km bike, and an 18km run. The men’s race is scheduled to begin today at 10.30am, with the women following at 12.30pm. Both times are Bahrain.
Following Dubai, the inaugural Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final is set for December 12 and 13.
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