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Kat Matthews became vice world champion at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland on Saturday, working her way through the field with the seventh-fastest swim, third-fastest bike and the second-fastest run to overtake all but one athlete, stopping the clock in 3:57:05, writes Lisa Pringle.
It is her second world championship silver, her first was won at the Ironman World Championship St. George last year. It is also a career-high finish, two steps up the podium from her result at the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. But it’s an even bigger achievement considering it has been less than a year since a car hit her on a training ride, putting her in hospital and dashing her debut at the Ironman World Championship in Kona.
“I had a really good day. They don’t come always; I had a bit of a bad day a couple of weeks ago,” Matthews said, referring to the PTO US Open where she finished seventh.
With the Ironman 70.3 world championship in the rear-view mirror, she turns her attention to Kona once more. “It would be very disrespectful to say that it wasn’t a big goal. I had full focus on this race, but right now all I’m thinking about is another race in seven weeks’ time.”
Amelia Watkinson produced the next best result for Bahrain Victorious 13, finishing 8th in the world just a little over 30 seconds ahead of Daniela Ryf in 9th. Holly Lawrence unfortunately had to call it a day after her Achilles tendon flared up.
Meanwhile in London, the Bahrain Victorious Scorpions kicked off the Super League Triathlon Championship Series with a third place finish in the team standings despite a depleted line-up with Georgia Taylor-Brown, Vincent Luis, and Hayden Wilde sidelined due to injury.
Racing over the Enduro format with three nonstop swim-bike-runs, five athletes finished in the top 15 to garner 65 points in the first salvo to defend the team title.
In the men’s race, Tayler Reid led the way with a bronze, Roberto Sanchez Mantecon on his heels in fourth and team captain Henri Schoeman in seventh.
In the women’s race, Nicole van der Kaay was the highest-placed in ninth while Verena Steinhauser took 12th.
With Cassandre Beaugrand and possibly Wilde back in action at Super League Triathlon Toulouse next week, expect a stronger sting from the Bahrain Victorious Scorpions.
