Taylor Knibb wins Kona with pass in final mile as Vincent Luis takes Ironman world title on debut
American Taylor Knibb overtook Solveig Lovseth inside the last mile to win in Kona, while France's Vincent Luis won the men's race on his debut.
The Ironman World Championship in Kona produced two dramatic finishes on Saturday 10 October, Hawaii time, as both races were decided late in the marathon. American Taylor Knibb took the women's title after overtaking defending champion Solveig Lovseth of Norway inside the final mile, a year after her own race fell apart in the heat. In the men's race, Frenchman Vincent Luis won on his Kona debut in what he had said would be his final race. For fans in Malaysia, the pros started at about 12.20am on Sunday, so both finishes came on Sunday morning local time.
Knibb turns the tables on Lovseth
The women's race started with Britain's Lucy Charles-Barclay leading the swim in 51:29, with Knibb 1:26 behind. The pair swapped the lead on the bike, but Knibb pulled clear and rode a 4:40:07 bike split to begin the marathon in front. Charles-Barclay later stopped and dropped out during the run.
Lovseth, who won the title in 2025, worked her way back and passed Knibb with just under five miles to go. Then her race unravelled. She began to wobble in the final mile, and NBC Sports reported she was seated on the road when Knibb ran past with about 0.7 miles left. The scene was a near mirror image of 2025, when Lovseth passed a seated Knibb in the closing miles and Knibb did not finish.
Knibb, a two-time Olympic silver medallist in the mixed relay, becomes the first American to combine an Olympic medal with a Kona title. NBC Sports noted she is only the second American, man or woman, to win in Kona in 24 years, after Chelsea Sodaro in 2022.
Luis runs down Ditlev
The men's race looked to belong to Denmark's Magnus Ditlev for most of the day. He took control on the climb to Hawi and stayed in front through the rest of the 180km bike, despite a broken hydration mount that forced him to stop. He started the marathon 5:34 clear of Luis and was still around four minutes up at halfway.
The heat then took its toll. Ditlev began stopping at aid stations and walking, and Luis, 37, went past him near mile 21. Luis crossed the line in an unofficial 7:47:27. Norway's Gustav Iden, the 2022 champion, finished second about a minute and a half back despite serving a three-minute drafting penalty on the bike. American Matthew Marquardt was third.
Luis, an Olympic mixed relay bronze medallist from Tokyo, had said before the race that Kona would be his last. He hinted that a win might change his mind, saying he needed "a few nights out to decide" on his future.
Men's top 10 (unofficial)
- Vincent Luis (France) 7:47:27
- Gustav Iden (Norway) 7:49:03
- Matthew Marquardt (USA) 7:49:59
- Gregory Barnaby (France) 7:51:02
- Pierre Le Corre (France) 7:53:29
- Sam Long (USA) 7:55:21
- Jonas Schomburg (Germany) 7:56:42
- Kristian Blummenfelt (Norway) 7:58:07
- Youri Keulen (Netherlands) 7:58:26
- Menno Koolhaas (Netherlands) 7:58:55
Other stories from the day
Sam Laidlow came off the bike in second place but withdrew early in the marathon with a numb left leg, a blood-flow problem he linked to a known artery condition. Belgium's Marten Van Riel led the men out of the water in 48:17 in choppy conditions. This was the first time since 2019 that the men and women raced together in Kona on the same day. Each world champion collects US$175,000.
Key takeaways
- Taylor Knibb won the women's Ironman world title after passing Solveig Lovseth with about 0.7 miles to go.
- Vincent Luis, 37, won the men's race on his Kona debut in an unofficial 7:47:27.
- Gustav Iden was second despite a three-minute drafting penalty; Matthew Marquardt was third.
- Magnus Ditlev led for much of the men's race but faded badly on the run.
- Men and women raced in Kona on the same day for the first time since 2019.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 Ironman World Championship? Taylor Knibb of the United States won the women's race and Vincent Luis of France won the men's race in Kona on 10 October (Hawaii time).
How did Knibb win? She led off the bike, was passed by Solveig Lovseth with just under five miles left, then retook the lead in the final mile when Lovseth struggled.
Will Vincent Luis retire? Luis had said Kona would be his final race, but after winning he said he wanted time to decide on his future.
Sources: NBC Sports, Slowtwitch, TRI247, Big Island Now