Taylor Knibb’s remarkable performance this fall has been impressive, highlighted by her 70.3 world title, a 13th place finish at the UCI World Championships Time Trial, and a victory in Kona. However, she faced a setback when she was narrowly defeated in a sprint by Colombia’s Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto at the World Triathlon Cup in Iquique, Chile. This recent race showcases an incredible turnaround, as just a month prior, she achieved a full-distance race victory.
On her Instagram account, the reigning IRONMAN world champion shared her feelings after just four days of offseason, stating she felt “lasted four days of offseason and was just feeling pretty irritable. I wanted to be at peace – it had already been such a great year – but I knew in my gut I really wanted to race and I felt like I was missing out on a good opportunity.” Knibb expressed a desire for tranquility after a splendid year but acknowledged a strong urge to compete, feeling she was missing a valuable opportunity.
Collaborating with her coach Dan Lorang, she conducted several intensity tests before reaching out to USA Triathlon to request entry into the World Cup event in Chile.
During the race, Knibb maintained pressure on the breakaway bike group and managed to overcome a slow transition to take the lead in the running segment. She recorded the fastest run split of the day at 16:03 but ultimately finished just behind Velasquez.
Although the current World Triathlon Individual Olympic Qualification Ranking for elite women has not yet been updated with the results from Chile, Knibb’s runner-up finish is expected to place her around 14th in the standings, making her the second American athlete, following Taylor Spivey, who is currently ranked eighth.
Knibb remains uncertain about her participation in the IRONMAN or 70.3 world championship events next year, as she prepares for another Olympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028. The race in Chile seems to have solidified her intentions for the Olympics.
Men’s Race Overview
In the men’s race, a breakaway after the swim included American Morgan Pearson, but the group was caught on the bike, resulting in a 5 km footrace. Spain’s David Cantero Del Campo and American Sullivan Middaugh surged ahead. Cantero launched an attack upon seeing the blue carpet, but it was Porter Middaugh, Sullivan’s brother, who claimed second place in a photo finish against another Spaniard, Antonio Serrat Seoane. Sullivan Middaugh finished fourth, while Pearson completed the top five.
Other World Cup Events
In addition, another World Cup event was held in Hong Kong, where France’s Nils Serre Gehri won, outsprinting Australia’s Callum McClusky, while Russia’s Diana Isakova triumphed over Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair. Switzerland claimed victory in the Mixed Relay, finishing ahead of Russia and China.
You can see full results from the racing in Hong Kong here.
More on Alanis Siffert’s IRONMAN Florida Win
We noted in our race report that Alanis Siffert’s remarkable performance in Florida may not have been a world-best time, but her 8:07:37 is recognized as the fourth-fastest full-distance race ever, also setting a new Swiss record. Additionally, she established new run and overall course records for the event in Panama City Beach.
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Following her impressive 30-minute improvement at Challenge Roth, along with a third consecutive victory at the Alpe d’Huez triathlon and a third-place finish at the 70.3 worlds in Nice, Siffert has demonstrated her ability to excel on both hilly and flat courses, which bodes well for her performance in Kona next year. She is trained by Brett Sutton, who has a proven track record of coaching IRONMAN World Champions, including Chrissie Wellington and Daniela Ryf. Sutton is currently coaching the Chinese national team, allowing his squad to train in heat conditions, suggesting that Siffert will be prepared to face the heat and humidity in Kona. A former competitive swimmer, Siffert has only been in the sport for about five years. She met Sutton during a training camp in St. Moritz and subsequently joined his professional squad.
Surprise Men’s Champ in Xiamen
This weekend’s Challenge Xiamen race was anticipated to feature Norwegian stars Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden competing against Canadian Lionel Sanders. We reported last week that Sanders would not participate, and ultimately, Blummenfelt and Iden were not in contention for the podium.
Canada’s Zachary Bernier-Michaud won the men’s race, starting the half-marathon almost five minutes behind Dorian Horsten from the Netherlands. He managed to catch up and take the lead in the final kilometer, winning by a margin of 25 seconds over Horsten. Defending champion Kieran Storch from Australia rounded out the podium.
Blummenfelt finished in 13th place with a time of 3:52:35, while Iden came in 16th at 3:53:46, both losing time once they reached dry land. Blummenfelt exited the water in fifth position.
This day marked a significant breakthrough for Bernier-Michaud, who is only 22 years old. Born in Montreal and raised in Bangkok, he was inspired to pursue the sport by his high school principal in Thailand. In 2024, he won the IRONMAN 70.3 Coeur D’Alene overall and turned professional in 2025. That same year, he secured 10th place at IRONMAN Austria, 7th at IRONMAN Switzerland, and another 10th place at IRONMAN Arizona, recording a time of 7:54:16, reportedly making him the youngest athlete to achieve a sub-8 IRONMAN finish.
This year, Bernier-Michaud placed 9th at IRONMAN Brazil, 5th at 70.3 Mont-Tremblant, and 4th at 70.3 Tallinn before crashing less than one kilometer from T2, which forced him to withdraw from the 70.3 worlds in Nice. He required surgery for a broken hand.
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However, he rebounded from the challenging day in Nice with a remarkable victory in China. Bernier-Michaud also has a connection to Brett Sutton, being coached by Jo Spindler, associated with Sutton’s Trisutto coaching organization.
| Pos | Athlete | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zachary Bernier-Michaud | CAN | 25:31 | 1:57:38 | 1:11:45 | 3:39:11 |
| 2 | Dorian Horsten | NED | 24:04 | 1:54:27 | 1:16:59 | 3:39:36 |
| 3 | Kieran Storch | AUS | 25:34 | 1:59:41 | 1:10:59 | 3:40:49 |
| 4 | Ognjen Stojanović | SRB | 24:01 | 1:59:46 | 1:13:56 | 3:41:59 |
| 5 | Mike Phillips | NZL | 25:30 | 2:00:05 | 1:14:30 | 3:44:29 |
| 6 | Ben Hamilton | NZL | 25:30 | 1:57:40 | 1:17:20 | 3:45:04 |
| 7 | Sam Musgrove | AUS | 25:30 | 1:57:44 | 1:17:35 | 3:45:17 |
| 8 | Mateo Reddy | SUI | 28:58 | 1:57:04 | 1:15:27 | 3:45:43 |
| 9 | Antony Costes | FRA | 24:12 | 1:59:43 | 1:19:05 | 3:47:15 |
| 10 | Alejandro Rodriguez Rilo | ESP | 23:50 | 2:00:04 | 1:20:17 | 3:48:17 |
Pérez Sala defends Challenge Xiamen title
In the women’s race in China, there were no surprises as Spain’s Sara Pérez Sala maintained her lead from start to finish, securing the women’s title for the second consecutive year. She won by nearly 15 minutes over Australia’s Jasmine Brown, with South Africa’s Magda Nieuwoudt completing the podium.