Lucy Charles-Barclay: “It’s getting harder and harder to become world champion”

GB long-distance pro Lucy Charles-Barclay has a remarkably consistent record at the Ironman World Champs in Kona – four consecutive second places (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 – no champs in 2020 or 2021). Forever the bridesmaid, and all that annoying stuff…

But that last second place, in October last year, felt like a massive win to the former pro swimmer following a stress fracture in her hip at the start of 2022.

Out of the postponed 2021 Ironman Worlds in St George, USA, and the invite-only Sub8 project which was won by compatriot Kat Matthews, she eventually returned to racing in August at the World Triathlon Long Distance World Champs in Slovakia.

Lucy Charles-Barclay’s 2022 race highlights

There, the then 28-year-old put in a comeback to end all comebacks by leading from gun to tape to take the title ahead of fellow GB pro, Emma Pallant-Browne.

A month later she podiums at the PTO US Open behind Taylor Knibb and Ashleigh Gentle. Then it’s that Kona second, and a fourth at the 70.3 Worlds.

So what’s next for Charles-Barclay? In this exclusive video from her bike helmet sponsor, Kask, the 2021 70.3 world champion talks Olympic ambitions, role models, and the rise of the ‘battle braid’ movement…

Lucy Charles-Barclay on her 2023 race season

Top image credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for Ironman

Liz Barrett 220 Deputy Editor

About

220 deputy editor Liz Barrett started work on the magazine in 2007 as staff writer. Since then, she’s reported live from almost every major triathlon across the globe, including the Ironman World Championships, 70.3 Worlds, six ITU Worlds, Challenge Roth, the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealths, the London and Paris Olympics and the Rio Paralympics, to name but a few. Name a pro and chances are she’ll have interviewed them, so, unsurprisingly, she’s our go-to pro-athlete expert on the team. When not covering races, you’ll find her whipping words into finely-crafted shape for both the magazine and website.