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Kat Matthews

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Katrina Matthews
Katrina Matthews at IM UK in 2021
Personal information
Born (1991-03-13) 13 March 1991 (age 33)
Exmouth, Devon, England
Height165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Websitewww.katrinamatthewstri.com
Sport
CountryUK
TeamCANYON p/b HUUB
Turned pro2019
Coached byBjörn Geesmann
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • Ironman: 8:24:23 (2024)
  • Ironman 70.3: 3:57:04(2023)
Medal record
Women's triathlon
Representing  Great Britain
Women's triathlon
Ironman
Silver medal – second place 2021 St George Individual
Silver medal – second place 2024 Nice Individual
Ironman 70.3
Silver medal – second place 2023 Lahti Individual

Katrina Matthews (born 13 March 1991, née Rye) is an English professional triathlete who races in non-drafting, long-distance events. Major results include second places at the 2021 Ironman World Championship in Utah, USA, the 2024 Ironman World Championship in Nice, France, and the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland.[1][2][3] She was a member of the BMC Pro triathlon team 2020–2022 and is a physiotherapist working for the British Army.[4]

Triathlon career

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In 2018, as an amateur, Matthews won Ironman 70.3 Calgary as well as the UK National Championships later on in the year.[5][6] Early in the 2019 season, Matthews won Challenge Gran Canaria as an amateur thus securing her pro licence and, as a professional went on to podium at four middle distance events including winning the ETU European Championships.[7] This was also the year of her first Ironman, IM Western Australia where she came 4th with a debut time of 8:53:58.

In 2020 Matthews won the first post-pandemic IM 70.3 (Tallinn) and the first post-pandemic Ironman: Ironman Florida with a time of 8:40:50 (at the time the 3rd fastest ever British woman).[8][9] Notably she also won the UK national 100-mile cycling TT in 3 hours and 55 minutes.[10][11]

In 2021, Matthews finished fourth at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St George. In the inaugural PTO Collins Cup she had the 4th fastest time, winning her match.[12][13] She also won IM UK in Bolton[14] and came 2nd to Daniela Ryf at IM Tulsa.[15]

In 2022, Matthews won Ironman Lanzarote 70.3 beating the reigning Ironman world champion Anne Haug by over 3 minutes.[16][17] Racing in her first Ironman World Championships in St George, Utah in May 2022 she was second to Daniela Ryf.[18] She had been invited to participate in the Sub7Sub8 challenge racing against Nicola Spirig.[19] Matthews smashed the 8-hour 'barrier' finishing ahead of Spirig with a time of 7:31:57, the fastest ever Ironman distance time.[20] While acclimatizing in Texas for the 2022 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, a driver drove into her resulting in very serious injuries.[21] [22] Once sufficiently recovered her structured rehabilitation moved to an active return to training in December.[23] She was ranked ninth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation 2022 ranking list.[24] Matthews was named British Army Sportswoman of the Year 2022.[25]

In 2023, recovered and rehabilitated,[26] Matthews returned to racing 'grateful' to finish a remarkable third at IM 70.3 Oceanside behind Tamara Jewett and the current world champion Chelsea Sodaro.[27] She followed this 3 weeks later with a win at Ironman Texas in a new best Ironman time for a British woman of 8:32:51.[28][29] In the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland, Matthews finished second to Taylor Knibb.[30] With a win in the IM 70.3 Bahrain[31] Matthews was ranked sixth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation 2023 world ranking list.[32]

In 2024 with the inaugural Professional Triathletes Organisation T100 Tour and the first Ironman Pro Series she set out to be the only athlete in the world to race both series.[33] Wins at Ironman Texas,[34] Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz (in a new British fastest ever Ironman time of 8:24:23) and podia at T100 San Francisco, T100 London and 70.3 Tallinn have assured success in both the Ironman Pro Series[35][36] and the T100 Tour.[37] In September Matthews was second in the 2024 Ironman World Championship in Nice to Laura Philipp.[38]

Notable results

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Some of Matthews' notable achievements include:

Date Event Rank
7 November 2020 Ironman Florida 1[39]
23 May 2021 Ironman Tulsa 2[40]
4 July 2021 Ironman UK 1[41]
28 August 2021 Collins Cup 4[42]
19 March 2022 Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote 1[43]
6 May 2022 2021 Ironman World Championship 2[44]
22 April 2023 Ironman Texas 1[45]
26 August 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship 2[46]
27 April 2024 Ironman Texas 1[47]
14 July 2024 Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz 1[48]
22 September 2024 Ironman World Championships 2[49]

Competitions

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Matthews’ race results are:[50]

References

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  1. ^ Heisler, Ryan (7 May 2022). "Ryf Returns to the Top, Wins 2021 Ironman World Title". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  2. ^ "IRONMAN World Championship results 2024: Laura Philipp repels Kat Matthews in Nice". TRI247. 22 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Taylor Knibb defends her title at the 2023 Vinfast Ironman 70.3 world championship triathlon in Lahti, Finland". Ironman. 26 August 2023.
  4. ^ "GB's Matthews 'excited' about Ironman Worlds bid". BBC Sport.
  5. ^ Birley, Steve (11 July 2019). "Exmouth's Katrina Rye – an athlete at the very top of her sport". Exmouth Journal.
  6. ^ "Army physio overcomes injuries to win her first Ironman competition". The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
  7. ^ "Top Kat – Katrina Rye wins ETU Middle Distance European Champs". TRI247. 8 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Ironman-Distance Records | TriRating".
  9. ^ "Katrina Matthews, Daniel Bækkegård secure 70.3 Tallinn wins". TRI247. 5 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Katrina Matthews wins National 100-mile TT Champs". 17 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Captain Kat Matthews wins National 100 Mile Cycling Time Trial". 25 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Katrina Matthews on Collins Cup, middle-distance future". TRI247. 31 August 2021.
  13. ^ Vibe, Triathlon (31 August 2021). "Team Europe Win The Inaugural Collins Cup".
  14. ^ "Kat Matthews on 2021 and more to come". www.britishtriathlon.org.
  15. ^ "Ryf hangs on for Tulsa win". 23 May 2021.
  16. ^ "IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote 2022 results: Magnificent Matthews!". TRI247. 19 March 2022.
  17. ^ Howard, Luke (19 March 2022). "Katrina Matthews wins IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote".
  18. ^ Turner, Jonathan (7 May 2022). "IRONMAN World Championship 2021 results: Ryf silences doubters". TRI247.
  19. ^ "Kat Matthews to replace Lucy Charles-Barclay for Sub8 challenge". 220 Triathlon.
  20. ^ Carlson, Timothy (5 June 2022). "Two men go sub7, Two women go sub8". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Crushed – The Kat Matthews Story – Episode 1". PTO. 12 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Crushed – The Kat Matthews Story". Outsideonline. March 2023.
  23. ^ "Crushed – The Kat Matthews Story – Episode 3". PTO. 9 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Professional Triathlon Organisation 2022-12-31 ranking list". PTO. 31 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Kat Matthews named Army Sportswoman of the year 2022". TRI247. 22 November 2022.
  26. ^ Land, Tomas (28 May 2022). "WATCH: Kat Matthews opens up on her remarkable return to triathlon action". TRI247.
  27. ^ "IM 70.3 Oceanside 2023 women's results: Jewett outruns Sodaro". TRI247. 1 April 2023.
  28. ^ "IRONMAN Texas 2023 women's results: Kat Matthews claims emotional win". TRI247. 22 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Trirating – IM Records". Trirating. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  30. ^ "Taylor Knibb defends her title at the 2023 Vinfast Ironman 70.3 world championship triathlon in Lahti, Finland". Ironman. 26 August 2023.
  31. ^ "IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain Results: Marten Van Riel and Kat Matthews triumph in the Middle East". TRI247. 8 December 2023.
  32. ^ "Professional Triathletes Organisation 2023-12-04 ranking list". PTO. 4 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Kat Matthews announces audacious double as Brit chases both the T100 Tour and IRONMAN Pro Series". TRI247. 8 May 2024.
  34. ^ "IRONMAN Texas 2024 Women's Results: Kat Matthews DEFENDS title despite bike penalty". TRI247. 27 April 2024.
  35. ^ "IRONMAN Pro Series - Standings". Ironman. 3 October 2024.
  36. ^ "British triathlon star Kat Matthews on brink of massive $200k bonus after brilliant Ironman World Championship". TRI247. 24 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Professional Triathletes Organisation T100 - Standings". PTO-T100. 29 September 2024.
  38. ^ "IRONMAN World Championship results 2024: Laura Philipp repels Kat Matthews in Nice". TRI247. 22 September 2024.
  39. ^ "Katrina Matthews, Chris Leiferman take IRONMAN Florida wins". TRI247. 9 November 2020.
  40. ^ "Kat Matthews hopes to emulate her 'idol' Daniela Ryf in St George". TRI247. 4 May 2022.
  41. ^ "IRONMAN UK 2021: Skipper and Matthews reign". TRI247. 4 July 2021.
  42. ^ "Collins Cup results 2021: Team Europe claim Samorin glory". TRI247. 28 August 2021.
  43. ^ "Weekend round-up: Victory for Katrina Matthews and podium place for Jess Learmonth at IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote". www.britishtriathlon.org.
  44. ^ "'An honour to come second': Matthews a match for the greats". TRI247. 8 May 2022.
  45. ^ "IRONMAN Texas 2023 women's results: Kat Matthews claims emotional win". TRI247. 22 April 2023.
  46. ^ "Taylor Knibb defends her title at the 2023 Vinfast Ironman 70.3 world championship triathlon in Lahti, Finland". Ironman. 26 August 2023.
  47. ^ "Ironman Texas 2024 – Analyzing Results". trirating. 28 April 2024.
  48. ^ "Ironman Vitoria 2024 – Analyzing Results". trirating. 17 July 2024.
  49. ^ "Ironman World Championships 2024 – Analyzing Results". trirating. 22 September 2024.
  50. ^ "Kat Matthews Results". Professional Triathletes Organisation. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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