Taylor Knibb won her first Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona after overtaking defending champion Solveig Løvseth during a chaotic final kilometre of the women’s race. Løvseth had led by more than a minute with about a mile remaining, but began to wobble and collapsed before Knibb passed her roughly one kilometre from the finish.
Australia’s Grace Thek placed 10th on her Kona debut after moving through the field during the marathon.
The finish echoed the 1995 Kona race, when Paula Newby-Fraser collapsed close to a seventh title and was passed by Karen Smyers. Smyers was part of the finish-line presentation for Knibb, adding a historical link to the American’s victory.
Knibb had been leading the previous year before withdrawing with only a few kilometres left. This time she stayed within herself after Løvseth moved ahead. Knibb said the earlier disappointment shaped her decision to focus on reaching the finish rather than trying to answer every surge.
Luis, 37, had previously won Olympic bronze in the mixed team relay at Tokyo and world championship-series titles in 2019 and 2020; he had indicated before the race that he might retire afterward but said the victory would make him reconsider.