Taylor Knipe opens the season with a narrow win in the Gold Coast T100

On the reformatted 2026 T100 Tour, all eyes were on the women as they tackled the brutal waves and heat of Australia’s Gold Coast, with increased prize money at stake – including $50,000 for the winner.

2024 champion Taylor Knipp returns to the series to start a busy season, with another start at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside next weekend.

Conditions seemed ripe to challenge NEP and the field from the start. The swim, in particular, with its heavy waves, chop and strong currents, has made it one of the most dramatic professional swims of recent years, with athletes handling the conditions with varying degrees of skill and experience.

Many athletes prepared specifically for this in the run-up to the event. Ellie Salthouse was reportedly taking surfing lessons, while local Danielle Di Francesco – an open water swimmer and former professional cyclist returning to triathlon – had a huge advantage, as she was only 10km from the course.

The chaotic swim became particularly evident when Sarah Pérez Sala veered off course, about 750 meters before the finish, and briefly led the others in the wrong direction before returning to the buoy, now behind the front group along with Taylor Knipp.

In the end, it was 25-year-old Jessica Fullagar, making her T100 debut, who handled the swim best. After taking an impressive win in the Noosa Olympic non-format distance race at the end of 2025, she got out of the water first and quickly consolidated her advantage on the bike. Interestingly, the bike she was riding was borrowed from fellow T100 athlete and friend, Lucy Byram, who was unable to race due to injury.

Nip, who emerged from the water after more than 30 seconds, steadily made her way forward. It wasn’t as instantaneous as many expected, as he only got to the front with about 30km remaining on the bike.

Imogen Simmonds continued her return to racing after competing in late 2025, staying within striking distance for most of the trip, holding around 90 seconds to two minutes, before eventually drifting to around three minutes by T2.

Knibb started the race with a 1:20 lead over Fullagar, but there was an early response, as Fullagar regained about 10 seconds almost immediately out of transition. Simmonds was running well and was clear of the rest of the field for at least two minutes, but continued to lose more time up front as the run developed.

By about a quarter of the way through the race, the gap between Knibb and Fullagar had stabilized at 50 seconds and stayed that way for the next several laps as the two paced each other at an even pace.

Towards the end, Knibb extended her advantage slightly and opened her 2026 campaign in stride, with Fullager making her debut, finishing just a minute behind. Talk immediately after the raceKnepp said it was a “fun race” but she was a little “shocked” by the swimming conditions, while Foliger humbly admitted that she made some rookie mistakes and needed to learn how to pace longer distances better.

Fullagar clearly has a future in the 100km alongside her shorter races. She and Nip will return to that distance as they begin their qualifying journey for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics this year. If they decide to return over 100km, they will likely face a stronger field of returns, with 2025 champion Kate Waugh, Julie Deron and Lucy Charles-Barkley all missing out on this race.

The next women’s T100 race will be held in Spain on May 23.

Gold Coast Women’s T100 Results 2026