Britain’s Alistair Brownlee admitted the stars had aligned for him after he signed off the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour season with a first podium place.
Brownlee had to overcome 32C heat, falls, penalties and a lack of preparation to snatch an unlikely third place in Dubai on Sunday.
It earned the two-time Olympic champion fifth place in the season standings, guaranteeing his place on next year’s tour, and a £48,000 bonus.
“I needed some stars to align and thankfully they aligned for me today,” said Brownlee.
“I’ve been fitter in some other races this year and I just had to do what I could do today. I try to take a positive attitude into every race and just be really level headed.
“But yeah, the last two months have actually been horrific. I’ve hardly done any sessions. I’ve done one bike session since Ibiza, two run sessions, one hard swim session. It’s been so bad.”
Belgium’s Marten van Riel put the disappointment of finishing 22nd at the Paris Olympics behind him by clinching the T100 Triathlon title and £166,000 with his third race win of the season.
German Rico Bogen’s runner-up finish saw him pip Dane Magnus Ditlev to third overall, while New Zealand’s Kyle Smith was second in the rankings, earning £111,000.
“It’s all the difficult movements that make the beautiful ones even more beautiful,” said Van Riel.
“I think it was very good to have this goal, to do well in the T100 series this year. And to be able to do that has been what has kept me on and not make me doubt too much.”
Knibb caps perfect T100 season
Billionaire tech investor Sir Michael Moritz, an early backer of the T100 Tour concept, was among those in attendance in Dubai to watch the season grand final.
A day earlier, Taylor Knibb capped a superb season by winning the women’s title with a 100 per cent record from her four races.
The American, a silver medallist in Paris this summer, led home Switzerland’s Julie Derron and Australian Ashleigh Gentle, who also took the next two spots after her in the season standings.
“I woke up and messaged my coach that I just feel rough, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a bad day,’” said Knibb.
“So, I was kind of shocked. It only came together in the last 3km when everyone else fell apart, but it was very step-by-step.
Knibb and Van Riel were crowned inaugural T100 Triathlon World Champions in Dubai
“I think my dad was more nervous today than me. But I have a fantastic team of individuals and a lot of sponsors so it’s just a huge team effort and I’m very grateful for everyone who supports and believes in me.”
Britain’s Kat Matthews finished fifth to take fourth in the T100 standings and bank a £59,000 bonus.
Bermudan Flora Duffy was one place better on the day and fifth overall, while two more Brits – Lucy Byram and India Lee – made the top 10, ensuring the offer of a T100 contract for 2025.