WATCH LIVE: T100 Dubai women’s Grand Final – can anyone beat Taylor Knibb?

This is a preview of what proved an incredibly dramatic race – click here to find out why as Taylor Knibb ran out a worthy first T100 world champion.

So the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour all comes down to the seventh and final race in Dubai, with a world title up for grabs, $1million in end-of-season bonuses, a fierce battle to make the top 10 to guarantee a contract for next season and much, much more.

There’s an argument to be made that this is the most lucrative women’s triathlon event EVER given what’s riding on it – both this weekend and in 2025 and beyond.

So no surprise that it’s again brought together the very best, with Lucy Charles-Barclay the only athlete missing from either the top 10 of the world rankings or the T100 standings.

Read on to find out more – including start time, TV and streaming info, who’s racing – and who we think could cause a surprise…

Start times and how to watch live

In Dubai, the women’s race will take place on Saturday November 16, with the gun going off at 13:30 local time. This corresponds to 09:30 in Europe, 04:30 on the East Coast and 01:30 on the West Coast.

The live broadcast will begin 15 minutes beforehand and is available globally on PTO+, on Discovery+ in Europe, on YouTube or via regional broadcasters (see the full list here on the T100 website).

If you are outside Europe you’ll be able to watch the race right here via the embed below…

Who’s racing at T100 Dubai?

Pretty much all the biggest names are here – but can anyone beat American superstar Taylor Knibb?

They haven’t so far this T100 campaign – she’s lined up three times and won in San Francisco, Ibiza and Lake Las Vegas in a season which has also seen her take part in both the triathlon and road bike time trial at the Olympics!

She knows that a top-two placing means she will not only be awarded World Champion status by triathlon’s international governing body World Triathlon, but will also take away $210,000 for topping the standings.

Taylor Knibb is in pole position [Photo credit: T100]

However Switzerland’s Julie Derron – who took a brilliant silver behind Cassandre Beaugrand in Paris – has emerged as a real threat in the last two races.

Her run is up there with the very best in the sport – in fact, on current form, it is unmatched – and there’s a case to suggest she could come out of T2 a fair bit closer to Knibb this time.

There were over five-and-a-half minutes between them in Ibiza and just over five minutes in Lake Las Vegas but the technical nature of the bike course in Dubai – more on that below – might just dent Knibb’s greatest weapon.

Derron put four and three minutes into her on the respective runs in those two races so keep a very close eye on the gap this weekend.

That pair have to be the clear favourites but Aussie Ashleigh Gentle is right in the mix for the overall title. If the two-time T100 winner (Singapore and London) were to win and Knibb comes third or worse, then she takes the top prize.

However she has a real point to prove after effectively being lapped by Knibb at the start of the run in her last T100 race in Ibiza.

Realistically the title looks between Knibb and Gentle, but there is then a massive battle for the podium and top five in what’s a multi-layered race.

Brits India Lee, Kat Matthews and Lucy Byram all have solid claims as do Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds, Germany’s IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp and Canada’s Paula Findlay.

And the battle for an overall top-10 spot – which guarantees a lucrative T100 contract offer for 2025 – adds even more interest.

For a close look at the overall standings and what’s up for grabs points-wise on Saturday, click here for our bang-up-to-date women’s start list.

Dubai prize money and points

While most eyes will be on the overall standings and prize money distribution, what’s on offer for the Dubai race itself isn’t to be sniffed at.

The women are racing for a total prize purse of $125,000 and there are also inflated points which go towards the final table and that’s all outlined below.

POSITIONPRIZE MONEYPOINTS1$25,000552$16,000453$12,000404$9,000355$8,000306$7,000277$6,500248$6,000219$5,5001810$5,0001611$2,5001412$2,5001213$2,5001114$2,5001015$2,500916$2,500817$2,500718$2,500619$2,500520$2,5004

Dubai course

The 100km (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) course starts with a swim off the scenic Sunrise Beach in Jumeirah.

The bike segment sees a relatively straightforward start out of T1 where Knibb will no doubt put the hammer down.

But it then becomes a succession of twisty laps with plenty of dead turns so maintaining the power will be far from easy.

The run is then around the Meydan Racecourse – the home of horse racing’s world famous Dubai World Cup.

And one thing to highlight is the intense humidity heading into Saturday’s race. The temperatures are forecast to drop a little, albeit to around 30 degrees Celsius – and remember the start time is right around the hottest point of the day.