Dec 12 (Reuters) - Britain's Kate Waugh delivered the performance she needed on Friday to claim victory in the T100 Triathlon World Championship Final in Qatar and seal her first-ever world title in the sport in dramatic fashion.
The 26-year-old entered the season-ending showdown in Lusail at the top of the T100 Race To Qatar rankings, and knowing a victory would guarantee her the crown and $200,000 prize money.
She delivered in superb fashion, staggering across the finish line after slowing to a walk in the final straight and collapsing to her knees in exhaustion.
"Oh my gosh, that was the most dramatic way to win the world title," Waugh told tour organisers. "I've always been a bit of a drama queen, so perhaps that was the best way to win it I guess. I'm completely overwhelmed with emotion right now. I do not want to see those finish line photos."
Waugh held off challenges from title rivals Julie Derron of Switzerland and fellow Briton Lucy Charles-Barclay, who crossed third and fifth respectively.
Derron had started the day just six points behind Waugh, with Charles-Barclay a further three points back, but neither could match Waugh's pace in the closing stages. Derron finished second in the season standings, while Charles-Barclay was third.
Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown came second in Friday's race and seventh in the overall standings.
"That had it all. It was just hard from start to finish," Waugh reflected. "I think I cried a bit on the bike, I just was suffering so much and obviously there was the drama with the water stations and I was getting angry.
"My dad said to me at one point 'Okay just channel that anger' so I set off on the run and didn't look back. Going onto the last lap I felt the floor starting to tilt a bit and I was like 'Oh, I'm in trouble now.' I just held it together and then Georgia was putting me under pressure and I luckily just got across the line."
The victory capped a remarkable debut season at the 100-kilometre distance for Waugh, who won her first T100 race in Singapore and finished on the podium in all six of her appearances.
She had moved up to the longer distance -- the T100 is almost twice the Olympic triathlon distance of 51.5 km -- for a fresh start after her disappointing 15th-place finish at the Paris Games left her questioning her future in the sport.
"It hurt so much, mentally, emotionally ... it's December now and I've never raced this late in the year," she said. "I'm tired but I told myself I'm going to enjoy my holiday so much more if I just give it one last push."
T100 races consist of a 2km swim, 80km bike ride and 18km run with the tour including eight global stops. An athlete's best four results plus their finish in the final determined the overall standings.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing in ManchesterEditing by Toby Davis)
