WAM reported that defending champion Julie Derron of Switzerland will lead the women’s professional field at the Dubai T100 scheduled for November 14 at Al Mamzar. The event serves as the last women’s-only T100 race before the combined world championship final in Qatar next month according to the Emirates News Agency. PTO standings place Derron at the top with 64 points accumulated from her runner-up finish in Pamplona and a commanding victory in Vancouver where she finished one minute and 40 seconds ahead of Kate Waugh.
The T100 series organised by the Professional Triathletes Organisation in partnership with World Triathlon features races over a 2-kilometre swim 80-kilometre bike and 18-kilometre run. Each of the four women’s events this season carries a $50,000 winner’s prize an increase from the previous year a PTO announcement stated. Derron who took Olympic silver in Paris last year finished second at the inaugural Dubai T100 in 2024 before winning the 2025 edition by over three minutes.
Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown currently third with 61 points is set to race in Dubai alongside Waugh the reigning T100 world champion. Imogen Simmonds of Switzerland holds second place on 62 points but will not start in Dubai allowing her total to carry forward unchanged to the Qatar finale PTO figures show. The points system counts an athlete’s best three results plus the enhanced-points world championship final to determine the overall title.
Organisers have relocated the Dubai T100 to Al Mamzar this year to host both the professional women’s race and a full amateur programme from November 13 to 15. Gulf News reported that more than 2,000 athletes from 57 nationalities have already registered for the amateur distances which include a new Olympic-distance event and relay options for the first time. The professional race forms part of the Dubai Fitness Challenge running through November.
Derron said leading the standings is a nice position to be in but it is very close and with Dubai being the last race before Qatar I want to show another strong race. The Swiss athlete’s results have come from just two races while some rivals have completed more leaving the outcome of the series still to be decided in Qatar. Additional competitors in the 19-athlete field include Taylor Spivey of the United States and Nicole Van der Kaay of New Zealand based on the confirmed entries.
PTO historical records indicate the women’s T100 calendar has featured increasing prize money and visibility since the series began in 2024 with past champions including Taylor Knibb of the United States and Kate Waugh. The 2026 format separates men’s and women’s races for much of the season before uniting them for the December world championship final in Doha. This structure aims to provide focused platforms for elite female athletes throughout the year.