Yeah,I got that impression as well.
Mostly how 2023 was a shit show ( and came in 4th) and 2024 was exhausting hence a slow start effort to the year and lack of prep for texas.
Also losing 3 of 5 bottles off the bike in kona explains the run in kona hitting that wall.
It doesnât matter, I was just making a note that since it was an video, I had *incorrectly assumed all the Kona âBwBâ interviews were in person. May not matter to the listener, but Iâm certainly not downloading BwB content to just listen to audio only and since it was posted as a YT video, well yeah, I had assumed she was already in Kona for the ability to do it in person (not that it matters, just making note of it).
Very interesting to hear her talk about her age and her long term Ironman future. It is almost like she specifically took this year fairly easy to go all in on Kona knowing she will have to switch to the long WTS grind next year pre-Olympics qualifying. She can race 70.3âs and T100 without too much worry during her Oly build but Ironman is a different story.
I see a very quiet confidence in her and would not be at all surprised if she won and some old guy who has been around for a while agrees.
https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-news/elite/taylor-knibb-the-feed-video-mark-allen-tribute-kona-2025
Dont forget she had to serve a penalty for a bottle drop, and the tent wasnt ready and she had to stress to the end of the bike wondering about it. Few other fist timer mishaps too, like starting so far away from everyone that mattered in the swimâŚ
At the very least there are no excuses not to have a banger of a race one week out. Lots can happen before then, but she should be there at the front for at least 95% of the race..I do have mixed feelings now about how she will choose to swim. After last years horrendous start I for sure would have thought she will be right on Lucy, hanging and getting that extra free 1 to 2 minutes on her feet. But in the interview she did mention how she thinks she swam too hard in Texas, so I really dont know what she prepared for, or what her coach has planned for her.
Of course I have made it no secret that I think she should take the free minutes, even if she has to just burn half a match to do so. Making up 1 to 2 minutes on the bike could take hours on Lucy, so if you really want to win the race, you have to go for it somewhere. May as well be early when small matches are not so important and the rewards are huge..Because for sure if she loses Lucyâs feet, she will find herself pulling others, or having to make a choice to swim slower behind others and losing even more timeâŚ
To be fair, thatâs not really saying a lot is it, lol. Her 3rd IM, 1st one she did on ITU training, the 2nd one she did it after taking a real âoff seasonâ. Add in to montyâs point her S/B strength is always going to be there sheâs by default a âfavoriteâ from now until she retires. She just has the âmost to proveâ I think when your talking about everyone, but yet sheâs also likely in the best position out of anyone probaly in that if she actually has gone all in on this, she likely had the most upside with her improvements right?
PTN posted the guy cut a buoy.
They didnât have enough water safety apparently.
âHow the heck are ya?!??â
There is an ultra marathon swimmer by the same name of the guy that won. Is it the same Matheus Evangelisa from Brazil ?
https://youtu.be/_p2e6x7eRcE?si=kvvy5-cLpeyVPcXL
Genuinely shocked they referenced the PTO. Not by name of course, but by mentioning Knibb hanging onto LCBs feet over a 2k swim in London.
1 Like
Thatâs tri247 deducing from Allenâs piece: âKnibbâs best years are ahead of her!â No sh1t Sherlock. Hereâs the post (edited): I see no suggestion that he thinks sheâll win this year. Key message: sheâs too young but in time will become âunbeatableâ.
âTaylor Knibb is one of the most exciting athletes Iâve seen in years. Sheâs fearless, explosive, and already a force across every distance she touches. When she jumps on the bike, the race shifts. She rides with power that doesnât just challenge the fieldâit changes the race itself.
âBut hereâs the paradox: as incredible as Taylor is right now, her best is still ahead of her. Because in triathlon, unlike many sports, older is better. Endurance rewards patience, wisdom, and time. Your body may not always get faster with age, but your ability to race absolutely does. You learn pacing as an art. You learn how to conserve energy when others are reckless. You figure out nutrition not as calories, but as strategy. And you develop the patience to stay calm when things go wrongâbecause in Ironman, they always do.
âTaylor is already a star, but the beauty of her story is that itâs just beginning. At 26, she hasnât yet raced with the weight of a decade of experience behind her. She hasnât yet felt the deep calm that comes when you know exactly how to navigate every mile, every setback, every surge.
âThatâs the version of Taylor Knibb I canât wait to see. The one who will pair her fearless fire with the mastery that only time gives. And when that happens, she wonât just win racesâsheâll define an era. In triathlon, the greatest gift is time. And Taylorâs time is only just beginning.â
You âwould not be at all surprised if she wonâ? So you think on balance she is more likely not to. Have I read that right?
Echoing @BDoughtie (but with more detail):
Agree. Knibb was only 11 minutes down on Charles-Barclay in IMWC 2023 in her first IM and only 10 minutes down on Matthews in her second (IM Texas). Confident she will be less than 9 minutes down on Saturday: best Ironman ever.
Why are (some of) these hyperlinks not expanding?
Recommended; and this is just Episode 1 - âTriGPT insightsâ Yeah, right. Well done Sid, Sam and Aaron.
1 Like
yeah thatâs him, but according to PTN he cut last buoy and overtook Lucy in the final 300m.
1 Like
Wouldnât at all be surprised. So he would not be surprised if she won. Could care less vs couldnât care less innit.
My old mate Talbot giving us the news from the island circus. Good stuff. (Have no idea why the video links no longer work on here.)
https://youtu.be/17y4eJlV4IQ?si=jmV3Pxf9C2C94IRH
1 Like
where did they say this.
A few questions:
-
Did I see something about the Hoâala Training Swim as being âshortenedâ on the weekend?
-
Donât know if others have noticed this, but there is no Title Sponsor for this yearâs World IRONMAN Championships - usually thatâs the sponsor that is putting up the money for the prize purse! Did the Vinfast Sponsor contract end organically?
-
Whatâs the scene like in Town - How big is the Expo? Are there other renegade Expos and promos going on?
-
I have heard that they are substantially short on volunteers - this is not an unknown problem across all Endurance Sports Races/Events - coming back from the pandemic, Volunteer numbers are down - But the IRONMAN World Championships depended heavily on a split of locals volunteering and many Friends and Family members of those there to race also Volunteering even some folk coming over from the mainland specifically to Volunteer. Curious to know what group is down if that can be determined.