Swiss star Julia Derron chased down the returning British T100 World Champion Kate Waugh on the run to record her first T100 victory of the season in Vancouver. Third was British Olympic champion Georgia Taylor-Brown and fourth was home favourite Paula Findlay, caught by Taylor-Brown with just over 5km to go, but not before she’d taken the lead on the bike and given a vociferous Canadian crowd plenty to cheer about.
Second in Vancouver last year to American Taylor Knibb, Derron would not be denied the top step this time around despite a valiant performance from Waugh – who was returning from a calf injury that has dogged her season to date meaning this was only her first T100 race of the year. In this race Waugh finished with a swollen elbow after slipping into a fence on the last run lap.
The result means that Derron takes the lead in the T100 Race To Qatar on 64 points, with Simmonds in second on 62 points and Taylor-Brown in third on 61. Athletes select their best three finishes plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final.
Next up for the women is the Dubai T100 Triathlon on 14 November. Whilst the men return to action at the Ekoï French Riviera T100 on 19 September.
HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED
With an air temperature of 21°, the beautiful Locarno Beach launched the professional women into the 2026 Vancouver T100. Reigning T100 World Champion Kate Waugh (GBR) led at the start of the swim, and was joined by Taylor Spivey (USA), Imogen Simmonds (SUI), Lena Meissner (GER) and Sara Pérez Sala (ESP) in the leading group, with Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) leading the next group seven seconds behind after the first lap. At the end of the swim, Spivey was leading, followed closely by Waugh, Sala, Meissener and SImmonds. The gap to GTB’s group grew to 41 seconds behind the leader. A long run in the sand to T1 followed the 2km swim. Spivey lost time in transition, with Briton Waugh leading onto the bike by three seconds to German Meissner.
The 80km bike leg took the athletes along the Spanish Banks with 5 laps of 14.1km taking in the University of British Columbia Campus. Swiss superstar Julie Derron made her way through the field, having started the bike with an almost 90 second deficit. She fought her way back to the front of the race, joining Paula Findlay (CAN), Waugh and Simmonds with over half of the 80km bike left to ride, and left T2 second with a 48 second gap to close to leader Waugh.
Canadian Findlay worked her way through the field from 13th after the swim all the way to leading her home race at the 55km to go mark. Waugh eventually retook the lead and pulled out an advantage of 48 seconds over Simmonds and Derron heading into T2, and Findlay was not far behind after recording the fastest bike split of 2:01:13.
A smooth transition ensured Waugh maintained her lead to start the 18km run back along Locarno Beach and Spanish Banks Beach Park. Derron immediately left behind compatriot Simmonds to chase down Waugh and the victory. Simmonds was soon joined and overtaken by Findlay, who then began to increase her buffer to the Swiss for that final podium place.
Derron was on a charge! She took the lead from Waugh with just less than 9km to the finish. With less than 6km to go, Findlay was overtaken by the 2026 Spain T100 Triathlon winner, Georgia Taylor-Brown, who moved onto the podium.
Derron was victorious in Vancouver, crossing the finish line in a time of 3:33:26, almost 2 minutes ahead of Waugh on her return from injury. The final podium place was taken by Britain’s Taylor-Brown, 3 minutes down on Derron, with home heroine Findlay a further 27 seconds behind in 4th