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, the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland and the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand.[1][2][3][4] Matthews won the inaugural Ironman Pro Series in 2024.[5] She was a member of the BMC Pro triathlon team and is a physiotherapist currently serving in the British Army under their Elite Sports Programme.[6]
Triathlon career
In 2018, as an amateur, Matthews won Ironman 70.3 Calgary as well as the UK National Championships later on in the year.[7][8] 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.[9] 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).[10][11] Notably she also won the UK national 100-mile cycling TT in 3 hours and 55 minutes.[12][13]
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.[14][15] She also won IM UK in Bolton[16] and came 2nd to Daniela Ryf at IM Tulsa.[17]
In 2022, Matthews won Ironman Lanzarote 70.3 beating the reigning Ironman world champion Anne Haug by over 3 minutes.[18][19] Racing in her first Ironman World Championships in St George, Utah in May 2022 she was second to Daniela Ryf.[20] She had been invited to participate in the Sub7Sub8 challenge racing against Nicola Spirig.[21] Matthews smashed the 8-hour 'barrier' finishing ahead of Spirig with a time of 7:31:57, the fastest ever Ironman distance time.[22] While acclimatizing in Texas for the 2022 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, a driver drove into her resulting in very serious injuries.[23][24] Once sufficiently recovered her structured rehabilitation moved to an active return to training in December.[25] She was ranked ninth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation 2022 ranking list.[26] Matthews was named British Army and UK Armed Forces Sportswoman of the Year 2022.[27]
In 2023, recovered and rehabilitated,[28] Matthews returned to racing 'grateful' to finish third at IM 70.3 Oceanside behind Tamara Jewett and the current world champion Chelsea Sodaro.[29] and 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.[30][31] In the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland, Matthews finished second to Taylor Knibb.[32] With a win in the IM 70.3 Bahrain[33] Matthews was ranked sixth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation 2023 world ranking list.[34]
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