Kat Matthews facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Katrina Matthews

Personal information
Born	(1991-03-13) 13 March 1991 (age 34) Exmouth, Devon, England
Height	164cm
Weight	60kg
Sport
Country	UK
Team	CANYON
Turned pro	2019
Coached by	Alex Dowsett (Cycling)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Ironman: 8:05:13 (2025) Ironman 70.3: 3:57:04(2023)
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Women's triathlon Ironman World Championship Silver 2021 St George, USA Individual Silver 2024 Nice, FRA Individual Ironman 70.3 Silver 2023 Lahti, FIN Individual Silver 2024 Taupo, NZ Individual Ironman Pro Series Gold 2024 Individual

Katrina Matthews (born 13 March 1991) is an amazing English professional triathlete. She competes in long-distance races where athletes don't draft (ride closely behind each other) on the bike. Katrina has achieved second place at the Ironman World Championship twice, in 2021 and 2024. She also took second place at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in both 2023 and 2024.

In 2024, Katrina won the very first Ironman Pro Series, showing she was the top athlete that year. In April 2025, she set a new world record for the fastest Ironman race time ever, finishing Ironman Texas in an incredible 8 hours, 10 minutes, and 34 seconds. Before becoming a full-time triathlete, she worked as a Physiotherapist Officer in the British Army.

Katrina's Triathlon Journey

Starting as an Amateur

Katrina began her triathlon journey as an amateur athlete. In 2018, she won the Ironman 70.3 Calgary race. She also became the UK National Champion later that year. These wins showed she had a lot of talent.

In early 2019, Katrina won the Challenge Gran Canaria race. This victory helped her earn her professional license. As a professional, she quickly started getting on the podium (finishing in the top three) in four middle-distance events. She even won the ETU European Championships. In her very first full Ironman race, Ironman Western Australia, she finished fourth with a great time of 8 hours, 53 minutes, and 58 seconds.

Big Wins in 2020 and 2021

The year 2020 was a big one for Katrina. She won the first Ironman 70.3 race after the pandemic, which was in Tallinn. She also won the first full Ironman race after the pandemic, Ironman Florida. Her time of 8 hours, 40 minutes, and 50 seconds was the third fastest ever by a British woman at that time. She also showed her cycling strength by winning the UK national 100-mile cycling time trial.

In 2021, Katrina continued to shine. She finished fourth at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St George. She also competed in the PTO Collins Cup, where she had the fourth fastest time overall and won her individual match. Katrina won Ironman UK in Bolton and came in second to the famous triathlete Daniela Ryf at Ironman Tulsa.

Overcoming Challenges in 2022

Katrina started 2022 strong by winning Ironman Lanzarote 70.3. She beat the reigning Ironman world champion, Anne Haug, by more than three minutes. In May 2022, she competed in her first Ironman World Championship in St George, Utah, and finished an amazing second place, again behind Daniela Ryf.

She was also invited to take part in the special Sub7Sub8 challenge. This challenge was about trying to finish an Ironman distance race in under 7 hours for men and under 8 hours for women. Katrina raced against Nicola Spirig and finished with an incredible time of 7 hours, 31 minutes, and 57 seconds. This was the fastest Ironman distance time ever recorded!

However, while training in Texas for the 2022 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, Katrina had a serious accident when a driver hit her. She suffered significant injuries. After recovering, she worked hard on her rehabilitation and started training again in December. Despite the accident, she was ranked ninth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) rankings for 2022. She was also named the British Army and UK Armed Forces Sportswoman of the Year for 2022.

Strong Comeback in 2023

In 2023, Katrina made a fantastic comeback after her recovery. She finished third at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. Just three weeks later, she won Ironman Texas, setting a new personal best time for a British woman at 8 hours, 32 minutes, and 51 seconds.

At the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland, Katrina finished second to Taylor Knibb. She also won the Ironman 70.3 Bahrain race. By the end of 2023, she was ranked sixth in the PTO world rankings.

Dominating in 2024 and 2025

The year 2024 was a very busy and successful one for Katrina. She decided to compete in both the new PTO T100 Tour and the first-ever Ironman Pro Series. She was the only athlete in the world to race in both series!

She won Ironman Texas and Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz, setting a new British fastest-ever Ironman time of 8 hours, 24 minutes, and 23 seconds. She also earned podium finishes (top three) at T100 San Francisco, T100 London, and Ironman 70.3 Tallinn. In the autumn, Katrina finished second in the 2024 Ironman World Championship in Nice, behind Laura Philipp. She ended the PTO T100 World Tour in fourth place.

At the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupō, New Zealand, Katrina finished second to Taylor Knibb. With all these amazing results, Katrina won the Ironman Pro Series with a fantastic overall score!

Katrina started her 2025 Ironman Pro Series season with a third straight win at Ironman Texas. She beat Taylor Knibb, who was the current Ironman 70.3 World Champion. Her time of 8 hours, 10 minutes, and 34 seconds was a new world record for the fastest Ironman race ever, beating the old record by 8 minutes! She then placed second to World Champion Laura Philipp at Ironman Hamburg with an even faster time of 8 hours, 5 minutes, and 13 seconds.

Notable Achievements

Here are some of Katrina Matthews' most important achievements:

Competitions and Series

Katrina has competed in and ranked highly in these major tours and series:

Images for kids

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  Katrina Matthews in action.