Updated May 23, 2026 12:24PM
After four previous attempts at the distance in 2025 – finishing 12th, 9th, 4th, and 2nd – Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) finally broke through for her first T100 win, overcoming 2025 season runner-up Julie Derron (SUI) with a powerful performance across swim, bike, and run in the scorching heat of Pamplona.
It’s been a strong start to 2026 for Taylor-Brown after what she described as an off-year in 2025, highlighted by a second place at the World Cup in Lanzarote and a fourth at WTCS Samarkand. Part of the success appears to be from renewed confidence through her new setup with the PTC coaching group led by Glenn Poleunis, which includes Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) and partner Vincent Luis (FRA).
That environment – and likely some adaptations from heat training – seemed to pay off in Pamplona as Taylor-Brown handled the conditions better than Derron. Both athletes later explained they approached the race with very different tactics, with Derron saying her coach wanted her to “go until she blows,” while Taylor-Brown took a more measured approach.
“I was trying to just be smart with my racing on the bike because it was quite hot.”
The inviting turquoise reservoir that hosted the 2km swim was a complete contrast to the conditions seen at the previous T100 stop on the Gold Coast, where Taylor Knibb (USA) defeated Jessica Fullagar (GBR).
Neither of those athletes lined up to race in Spain, but the women’s field still featured plenty of notable additions, including the return of Holly Lawrence to T100 racing and Sophie Evans (GBR) competing again at this distance after becoming a mother this time last year. There were also emerging middle-distance names like recent 70.3 Valencia winner Cathia Schär (SUI) and Audrey Merle (FRA), who impressed earlier this season at Oceanside.
One notable absentee, however, was defending champion Kate Waugh (GBR), who withdrew late in the lead-up after aggravating a calf injury.
Unsurprisingly, hometown favorite Sara Pérez Sala (ESP) led the swim on home soil, with a front group of around 11 athletes close behind, notably including Derron, who can sometimes exit further back. The biggest name missing from that lead pack was former T100 winner India Lee (GBR), who was finally beginning her season. She exited more than two minutes down and eventually would later withdraw.
Onto the challenging and hilly bike course – not the typical flat, lapped T100 layout – and it didn’t take long for Pérez Sala to surrender the lead as Taylor-Brown aggressively moved to the front while Derron steadily advanced through the field. Fellow Swiss athlete and training partner Alanis Siffert was the fastest mover from the chase pack and eventually surged her way to the front of the race.
By halfway through the bike, the front group had narrowed to four main athletes – Derron, Taylor-Brown, Imogen Simmonds (SUI), and Hanne De Vet (BEL) – although the race remained close as repeated climbs and descents continually split the group apart before riders clawed their way back.
Into the final third of the bike, Siffert pushed to the front with her distinctive riding style and began forcing the pace. She eventually arrived into T2 with the fastest bike split, with only compatriot Derron right on her heels. Taylor-Brown came in shortly after, though a slower transition made it briefly appear that the race may have slipped away.
At this point, on commentary, Vicky Holland noted:
“I’m not sure she can afford to have lost quite that much time.”
Because, with the slower transition, Derron had now already charged clear onto the run with a 45-second advantage over, and quickly moved into the lead past Siffert and was looking strong. What Holland couldn’t have known, however, was how much Derron was already suffering in the heat.
“When I started the run, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to walk 18km of this run.’ I felt so rough coming off the bike.” Derron later admitted after the race.
Meanwhile, Taylor-Brown said she felt strong through the opening laps of the run, perhaps helped by that calmer T2 that allowed her to settle her heart rate and maximize cooling. And it quickly became clear the momentum had shifted. After a strong opening few miles from Derron, the gap rapidly began to shrink as Taylor-Brown first overtook Siffert before powering past Derron on an uphill section of the course.
Still, in temperatures pushing above 90 degrees, the race never fully felt secure, and after the race, Taylor-Brown later revealed that she was struggling by the third lap, not helped by the fact that “there was like no water left at the aid stations.”
In the end, though, she had just enough to hold on for her first T100 victory, winning by 1:20 over Derron, while Taylor Spivey stormed through the field with one of the fastest runs of the day to take third.
After the race, Taylor-Brown said:
“I’ve been feeling good in training, just strong, and just happy and in a really good place. I’m really enjoying my new coach and my new group, so that one’s for them.”
Next up for Taylor-Brown is another return to short-course racing in Alghero as the first Olympic qualification points for LA 2028 officially come into play. The T100 series now heads to San Francisco for the men’s race on June 6, while the women will wait for their rematch in Vancouver on August 15.
