Lucy Charles-Barclay is relishing the challenge of the new T100 Triathlon Tour, which got underway this weekend in Singapore. The 2023 IRONMAN world champion finished second in the Lion City last year, before injury forced her to miss the rest of the season. That followed a second place finish in last season’s opener in Miami, and Charles-Barclay had her eyes on going one better this weekend. However, she had to settle for third place as fellow Brit Kate Waugh stunned the field in her T100 Triathlon World Tour debut, with the 'Hot Shot' producing a sensational performance in all three disciplines to emerge the winner on Saturday. Waugh claimed a stunning victory in a time of 3:45:18 – winning by 6:40 from Austria's Lisa Perterer (3:51:58) in second and 7:51 from fellow Charles-Barclay in third. Speaking ahead of the race, Charles-Barclay said: "I enjoy the T100 because it is so intense, it is so brutal, there is no let up. It is just pushing us to our limits, we get to race all around the world in iconic locations. It is full on, but it’s really cool. "We are racing to our absolute limit and over this distance we are racing for three-and-a-half hours on the limit. We really are pushing the boundaries of human performance.” An Achilles injury curtailed her race in front of a home crowd in London before she a calf injury forced her to pull out of the IRONMAN World Championships just a few days before the race, missing the chance to defend her title. “It was an extremely difficult decision, I do believe it was the right one,” she said. “Definitely watching the race was tough – I wondered if I’d made the right decision – but I definitely stand by the decision I made.” It means Charles-Barclay has not raced since last July, but the 31-year-old is a born competitor and will be determined to put a strong season together, after being announced as a contracted athlete for the 2025 tour. The T100 Tour will visit seven locations across the year, including London and Las Vegas, before finishing in Qatar in December. Charles-Barclay will have eyes on challenging for the title after missing out last year, but is determined to be an inspirational figure too. She said: “When I didn’t make the London Olympics, I made the switch to triathlon just thinking it would be a bit of fun. I never would have dreamt the success I have achieved in this sport. It was a great opportunity I managed to jump into with no real intention of being a professional athlete. “I just like to have a real positive impact and inspire the next generation in sport, particularly female athletes. As long as I leave some sort of positive legacy, then I’ll be really happy.” Charles-Barclay will face stiff competition for the title, with reigning champion Taylor Knibb and 2024 runner-up Ashleigh Gentle amongst the challengers. The second season of the 9-leg T100 Triathlon World Tour is now underway. Watch the world’s best female and male triathletes race live on Eurosport across Europe and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, or on PTO+ from anywhere. More information at www.T100Triathlon.com