After 4 hours and 19 minutes of intense effort, American Taylor Knibb, the big favorite, was crowned Ironman 70.3 world champion for the fourth time. She dominated the race from start to finish, winning by more than five minutes. Big disappointment for Marjolaine Pierré who finishes 5th.
They were all gathered on Plage des Ponchettes this morning at 7 o’clock for the start of the most important race of their season. 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling and 21.1 kilometers of running, that’s the menu for the few thousand competitors.
From the first hectometers of swimming, gaps emerged. The favorite, Taylor Knibb very quickly took control, accompanied by about ten other runners. The rest of the favorites, including the Nice native Marjolaine Pierré, Swiss Julie Derron and British Kat Matthews remained more cautious.
26 minutes after the starting gun, they were already out of the water, ready to begin the 90 kilometers of cycling. Taylor Knibb was the only favorite in the leading group. The other favorites, including Marjolaine Pierré, were 1 minute 30 seconds behind.
A victory built on the bike
Very quickly, Taylor Knibb made herself noticed. After just a few kilometers, she broke away with disconcerting ease and quickly built up several minutes of lead. Behind her, the groups scattered.
After 20 kilometers on the bike, just before the Col de Vence, Taylor Knibb had more than two minutes advantage over Swiss runners Imogen Simmonds and Alanis Siffert. The Clermont-native, Audrey Merle, also in contention, was just seconds behind the Swiss runners. Further back, Marjolaine Pierré, managing her effort, was 3 minutes 30 seconds behind. The other favorites were already more than five minutes down.
From the first slopes of the Col de Vence, Taylor Knibb completely blew the race apart. All the girls had predicted it in the press conference, this Col de Vence would make a difference, and it certainly did. Very focused on her effort, relaxed, the American seemed to be flying up the Col de Vence. No chance for her competitors; at the summit, she had more than six minutes advantage over Alanis Siffert, Audrey Merle and Imogen Simmonds, eight minutes over Marjolaine Pierré, and nine minutes over the rest of the favorites.
Marjolaine Pierré back in the race
On the descent of the Col de Vence, Marjolaine Pierré switched to “comeback mode”. She had announced it two days ago, when all her competitors were only talking about climbing the Col de Vence, she was especially interested in the descent: “The descent won’t just be a rest phase, it will require enormous mental concentration. I would like to get a bit of a lead to tackle the descent alone, because I don’t like descending in a group, it’s sometimes dangerous”.
With a wild descent where she was the fastest on all sections, Marjolaine Pierré climbed from seventh to fourth place. On the flat in the final 20 kilometers, she continued to impress, even moving up to second place.
At the end of the 90 kilometers of cycling, Marjolaine Pierré had made up half her deficit, though she was still 4 minutes 30 seconds behind Taylor Knibb but was entering the run in second position with a one-minute advantage over the two Swiss runners, and more than three minutes ahead of the rest of the athletes. First place was a fantasy, the podium seemed completely within her reach.
Julie Derron too strong in the run
From the start of the run, the momentum of the second part of the cycling reversed. Very quickly, the Nice native Marjolaine Pierré seemed to tire, unable to establish a fast pace, and her lead quickly dwindled.
It was Julie Derron, long around the top ten, who managed to shine in this final part of the race. With a monstrous pace, she passed her competitors one by one, gaining more than seven minutes on Marjolaine Pierré and Imogen Simmonds, and five minutes on Taylor Knibb and Alanis Siffert.
No match for Taylor Knibb, who already had too much of a lead and wins in 4 hours 19 minutes and 24 seconds. Swiss Julie Derron takes second place after a wild comeback. It’s Alanis Siffert, another Swiss runner, who completes the podium, having been very consistent from start to finish.
Big disappointment for Marjolaine Pierré who finishes fifth, as in Marbella in 2025. “I’m quite disappointed to be honest, I dreamed of this podium for a long time, and finishing fifth is still a disappointment, especially here in Nice in a city I love so much. Physically it was very tough on the running part, but I’ve had several injuries in recent years and wasn’t able to train as I wanted for a long time, so I’m paying for it today”.
Note the nice French showing, with four representatives in the top 20 of the event for the latest Ironman 70.3 world championships in Nice.
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