Kate Waugh and Taylor Knibb set for thrilling WTCS duel as series heads to Yokohama

Two of the biggest names in women’s triathlon will line up against one another in Yokohama as the WTCS hosts what promises to be a thrilling battle between Kate Waugh and Taylor Knibb.

Briton Waugh is the reigning T100 Triathlon World Tour champion, while American Knibb has already won two races this year and finished runner-up in another as she mounts a multifront challenge on all distances this summer.

Knibb’s wins at the T100 on the Gold Coast and the IRONMAN 70.3 in Oceanside were hugely impressive, while her second place at IRONMAN Texas served as proof, if any were needed, that she can mix it with the very best in all disciplines.

Intriguing battle in prospect

Waugh was missing from that opener in Australia’s Surfers Paradise as she recovered from a niggling calf injury, but she returns for the WTCS in Japan on May 16 and will then also compete in Spain on May 23 in a T100 race that Knibb is also scheduled to take part in.

It promises to be an intriguing battle between two rivals who have raced each other five times since 2024, with the last two coming in the T100 last season when Knibb finished second and Waugh third in San Francisco, before those places were switched in London.

Taylor Knibb of the USA and Britain’s Kate Waugh will face each other again at the WTCS race in Yokohama. [Photo credit: World Triathlon]

But Yokohama is not only about Waugh and Knibb; there are many more big names lining up, including the winner from this season’s opener in Samarkand, Britain’s Beth Potter.

Potter, who missed out on the WTCS World Championship title in the final race of last season, seems determined to go one better this season and is one of a few athletes who have doubled up, with this race coming only a matter of weeks after the trip to Uzbekistan.

Strong American contingent

Alongside Potter and Waugh in the British colours are Sian Rainsley and Jess Fullagar, who finished in eighth and eleventh, respectively, in that first race of the WTCS season.

Potter, the 2023 champion and double Olympic bronze medallist, saw off France’s Léonie Periault to win the opening race, and while she is taking a week off, third-placed Jeanne Lehair (LUX) – who won here last season – is in the starting line-up. The only French athlete to race is Emma Lombardi.

Last year’s WTCS race in Yokohama was won by Jeanne Lehair, with Beth Potter and Lisa Tertsch also on the podium. [Photo credit: World Triathlon]

Another of the top five from Samarkand to sign up for Japan is America’s Taylor Spivey, as she joins Knibb as part of an exceptionally strong contingent from the United States.

Spivey and Kirsten Kasper have happy memories of this course, having both qualified for the Paris Olympics at this location, while Gwen Jorgensen placed fourth at the event last year. Knibb, who has not raced this distance since 2024, has medalled twice here.

Tertsch looking for improvement

Germany’s Lisa Tertsch, the woman who dramatically snatched the title from Potter’s grasp last season, struggled to a 33rd-place finish last week and will be hoping to do much better when she joins a line-up of compatriots that also includes Laura Lindemann, Nina Eim, Annika Koch, Franka Rust and Julia Bröcker.

As is the case with the men’s start list, a huge Japanese team will race, with eight athletes expected in total. The talented up-and-comer Manami Hayashi will likely be the leading presence following the retirement of stalwart Yuko Takahashi.

Yokohama will also represent the WTCS debut of World U23 champion Richelle Hill (AUS).

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