Haug turns focus to Ibiza T100 after Ironman World Championships heartbreak

By Ben Hart

Anne Haug hopes she can put a difficult week behind her and recreate special memories at the Ibiza T100.

Haug, 41, ran to a commanding win in the inaugural PTO European Open last year en route to claiming the world number one spot.

The German’s preparations for the defence of her title have been far from straightforward though, with a tyre puncture scuppering her bid for Ironman World Championship glory before her flight to Ibiza was cancelled earlier in the week.

“I have good memories from last year but every race is different, life comes in between and you struggle with things so you can’t compare, you can just give your very best and see what the outcome is,” she said.

“It’s a really hard competition here. It’s a T100 series so you line up against the best athletes in the world.

“I think Dubai will be a really good goal for me, I think Las Vegas might be a bit tight because you can't have a training block in there but there will be time between Las Vegas and Dubai to put in some proper T100 training in and prepare for the distance because it’s a bit different.

“That’s my goal to see what I can do in Dubai and show what I’m capable of. I have good memories of the last two years and I’d love to repeat that but this year was a bit unfortunate with all the sickness.”

The field for this Saturday’s race is impressive even by T100 standards, with Haug, Taylor Knibb and Ashleigh Gentle – the top three ranked PTO athletes in the world at the end of last year – lining up on the start line for the first time together.

Haug will hope a change in race distance and the presence of her all-star rivals will trigger a reset after the pre-race favourite was unable to complete the Ironman World Championships in Nice due to a bike fault.

“It’s always hard when you prepare for the most important race of the year and it doesn’t happen, I can’t even describe how I feel because it’s strange,” she added.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, I haven’t been able to put good training in.

“I feel mentally exhausted but my body should be fresh, so I don’t know what to expect from this race. I’ll just go out and try as hard as I can and see what’s possible.”

Watch the Ibiza T100 Triathlon races live in Europe on Eurosport 2. Broadcast for the men is from 0745 UK, with the race starting at 0800 and then the women dive in at 1030. Both Ibiza T100 races and behind-the-scenes content can be watched live and for free on PTO+ from anywhere.