How Lucy Charles-Barclay turned Olympic pain into triathlon superstardom
Lucy Charles-Barclay on how she fell into triathlon stardom and taking a step towards another world title at the London T100 this weekend.
In a parallel universe, Lucy Charles-Barclay might be spending the next few days preparing to go for a fourth gold medal in open-water swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Aged 18, the junior champion had set her heart on competing at London 2012, only to be overlooked for Team GB’s single spot in the event and then, heartbroken, turning her back on it.
But open-water swimming’s loss has been triathlon’s gain, and Charles-Barclay, now 30, has become one the fast-growing sport’s biggest and most charismatic stars.
It hasn’t worked out too badly either for the Enfield-born athlete, who is a multiple world champion and will compete in front of a home crowd at the London T100 triathlon this weekend.
“Swimming, I grew up doing. I dedicated my whole childhood to that sport,” she tells City PM
“And then when I didn’t make the London Olympics, I made the switch to triathlon, just thinking it will be a bit of fun.
“I didn’t really think it would be a second chance of a career in sport so I never could have dreamt of the success I have achieved.
“It just feels like a really great opportunity that I managed to jump into with no real intention of being a professional athlete.”
She may have fallen into triathlon stardom by accident but she is now perhaps the most bankable name in the sport, with a legion of sponsors including Red Bull.
That has made her just the right level of famous: known and respected among triathlon heads but spared the sort of intrusive scrutiny that can plague some elite sportspeople.
“I think more and more people now know who I am in London when I’m going out and about,” she says.
“But I also think more people are into sport and fitness and triathlon is growing so much particularly in the city.
“So I feel like most people that spot me probably have some interest in triathlon, but it’s quite nice to be well known when I go and race but then also, when I come home and train, I can just crack on with it and I’m not being hassled too much.”
Charles-Barclay first tried triathlon in 2014, aged 19. By the following year she was an age-group world champion and in 2017 she became a full-time triathlete.
Her upward trajectory continued and in 2021 she won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
The following year she bagged the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships and then last year, after several near misses, the Ironman World Championship in a women’s record time.
“Winning the Ironman World Championships last year was a huge relief. I’d been second four times and I’d had two major injuries in that time,” she says.
“I even injured myself winning that World Championship last year, so it’s been a real rollercoaster ride and if I ended my career here with three world titles, I’d be over the moon.
“So it really does feel like everything now is just a bonus. But I’m also still doing this because I believe I can still get more out of myself.
“Racing the T100, it’s a completely different distance, so if I was able to win this series, it’s another world title at the end of the year in a different distance. And that would be amazing.”
Charles-Barclay relishing London T100 home race
Britain has a proud history in triathlon, from Chrissie Wellington and Tim Don to the Brownlee brothers.
Charles-Barclay is already well on her way to being spoken of in the same terms, not that she is too concerned with her medal record.
“I don’t tend to look at those things too much. I just like to have a real positive impact,” she says.
“So I like to inspire the next generation in sport, particularly the female athletes. I wear my battle braids when I race and then I see young girls wearing their battle braids when they’re doing sports, they’re at school or maybe they’re doing their first ever running event or triathlon.
“That just makes me feel really happy. So I think as long as I leave some kind of positive legacy, then I’ll be really happy.”
Charles-Barclay has made a blistering start to the T100 Triathlon World Tour season, which this year has expanded to eight dates, and sits top of the women’s standings after three races.
She followed up second place in Miami with second in Singapore and chose to sit out the last race in San Francisco in order to prioritise being in peak condition for London.
“I knew London was important to me, so I wanted to put in a little bit more training for this one and be ready to race in my home city,” she says.
“My friends and family don’t often get to watch me race in person, so for them to be able to come down the road and watch me race around London is so exciting.”
Among those friends and family will be husband Reece Barclay. They met as teenage swimmers and he now doubles up as Lucy’s coach as well as being a pro triathlete in his own right.
“We’ve always been in sport together,” she says. “We’re definitely a little bit competitive, but I think in a good way Reece is always able to push me in training.”
Given her heartbreak in 2012 and subsequent success away from the Olympic cycle, Charles-Barclay could be forgiven for ignoring Paris 2024. Not a bit of it.
“I’m just a big fan of sports, so I think it’ll be exciting,” she says. “I always love to see other athletes doing well. We work so hard every single day and when you see athletes achieve their dream, it’s really special.”
Triathlon is growing an audience beyond the Games, however, in no small part due to the T100 Tour, which has delivered drama in spades already in its biggest season yet.
“We’re racing for three and a half hours on the limit. We really are pushing the boundaries of human performance,” she says.
“As athletes we love it. The fans absolutely love it and it makes for great watching. It’s the top 20 females and top 20 men. We are just pushing it as far as we can.”