10 Chapters About Lucy Charles-Barclay
Lucy Charles-Barclay has been blazing trails in the world of endurance sports since 2015.
Let’s discuss 10 fascinating chapters about her athletic career thus far – from her early beginnings swimming competitively to becoming one of the most respected and highest-achieving female athletes in modern times.
A Brief Introduction to Lucy Charles-Barclay
Before we dive into the details, let’s start with a quick overview of who Lucy Charles-Barclay is:
Full Name | Lucy Charles-Barclay (previously referred to as Lucy Charles) |
Nickname | The Mermaid |
Date of Birth | September 15, 1993 |
Nationality | British |
Height | 170 cm (5’7″) |
Weight | 58 kg (128 lbs) |
Discipline | Triathlon (Long-Distance) |
Coach | Reece Barclay |
Team | Red Bull |
First Triathlon | 2014 |
Turned Pro | 2016 |
Achievements | Ironman World Champion, Half Ironman World Champion, WTS Long Course World Championship |
Early Life and Athletic Beginnings
Lucy Charles-Barclay grew up in Great Britain and began swimming at the age of 8. She became a national champion at age 12 in the 200-meter and 800-meter freestyle. At age 16, she became National Champion in the 5km open water swimmer competition.
Olympics Attempt
Lucy Charles-Barclay excelled at long-distance open water competitions. She excelled at long-distance open water swimming and set her sights on the 2012 Olympic Games in the 10K open water marathon swim competition.
Britain only had one spot for that race, and the Great Britain Olympic Committee granted it to another athlete (even though she had beaten that athlete just a month before). Lucy was devastated and burnt out.
Transition to Ironman
In July 2014 she entered her first Ironman triathlon (Ironman UK) and finished 2nd in her age group.
June 2015 – 1st place at Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire in the 18-24 age group.
July 2015 – 1st place at Ironman U.K. in the 18-24 age group.
August 2015 – 1st place – Ironman 70.3 World Championships for the 18-24 age group.
October 2015 – 1st place – Ironman World Championships for the 18-24 age group. She was 22 years old.
In 2016, she became a professional triathlete.
World Championship Titles
Some of Chales-Barclay’s most significant achievements are her World Championship titles. Here’s a glimpse at her triumphs:
Year | Medal | Event |
---|---|---|
2021 | 1st | Ironman 70.3 World Championship |
2022 | 1st | WTS Long Course World Championship |
2023 | 1st | Ironman World Championship |
Notable Results
Charles-Barclay has a long list of results. Below is a list of many of them.
Year | Medal | Event |
---|---|---|
2017 | 1st | The Challenge Championship |
2017 | 1st | Ironman Lanzarote |
2017 | 2nd | Ironman European Championship |
2017 | 2nd | Ironman World Championship |
2018 | 1st | The Challenge Championship |
2018 | 1st | Ironman African Championship |
2018 | 2nd | Ironman 70.3 World Championship |
2018 | 2nd | Ironman World Championship |
2019 | 1st | Challenge Roth |
2019 | 1st | The Challenge Championship |
2019 | 1st | Ironman African Championship |
2019 | 2nd | Ironman World Championship |
2021 | 1st | Ironman 70.3 European Championship |
2021 | 1st | Ironman 70.3 World Championship |
2022 | 1st | WTS Long Course World Championship |
2022 | 2nd | Ironman World Championship |
2023 | 1st | Ironman World Championship |
Records and Achievements
2018 – Ironman World Championships – sets swim course record of 48:14 (1:14 min/100m).
Consistently sets the fastest swim splits in many Ironman races. If Red Bull gives you wings, she must guzzle a few of them before each race :-).
2021 – Won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship by over 8 minutes.
2023 – Become Ironman World Champion in Kona, Hawaii. Led from the swim start and never looked back.
2023 – Ironman World Championship course record – 8:24:31.
Personal Life
Lucy Charles-Barclay married fellow professional triathlete Reece Barclay in 2018. Together they run a coaching business at teamcharlesbarclaycoaching.com.
Fractured her hip, forcing her to miss the Ironman World Championship in St. George in May 2022.
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