Taylor Knibb wins Ironman world title after leader collapses in dramatic Kona finish

Knibb overtakes Norwegian rival in final kilometerDefending champion Løvseth collapses while leadingFrance’s Vincent Luis wins men’s title on Kona debutAmerican triathlete Taylor Knibb has won her first Hawaiian Ironman world title after one of the most dramatic finishes in race history.With a mile left, Norwegian defending champion Solveig Løvseth led Knibb by more than a minute and looked rock-solid, having taken the lead from her inside the final 10km of the 42.2km marathon run. Continue reading…

American triathlete claims first Hawaiian Ironman crown after defending champion Solveig Løvseth collapses within sight of finish France’s Vincent Luis wins men’s title on Kona debut American triathlete Taylor Knibb has won her first Hawaiian Ironman world title after one of the most dramatic finishes in race history. With a mile left, Norwegian defending champion Solveig Løvseth led Knibb by more than a minute and looked rock-solid, having taken the lead from her inside the final 10km of the 42.2km marathon run. But then Løvseth quickly developed a dramatic case of the wobbles and collapsed.

Knibb passed her about a kilometre from the finish and the Norwegian eventually recovered from the meltdown to finish eighth. It recalled the 1995 race, when Paula Newby-Fraser collapsed within just 500m of her seventh win and was passed by Karen Smyers. In a twist of history, Smyers helped hold the winner’s tape for Knibb. Vincent Luis of France won the men’s race aged 37, on his debut. It was just his third Ironman-distance race after Luis won Olympic bronze at Tokyo in the