Olympic triathlete asks cameraman not to film her after awkward admission before going on to win £245k

American triathlete Taylor Knibb is a winner at any cost.

The 26-year-old proved that with a stunning performance to take the T100 Triathlon World Tour Grand Final in Dubai.

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Her victory in Dubai also gave Knibb the inaugural T100 world title after winning races in San Francisco, Ibiza and Las Vegas.

And thanks to her steady stream of wins, Knibb collected approximately £254,000 in prize money.

In Dubai, Knibb began with one of the fastest times for the opening leg, which was a 1.2 mile (2 km) swim.

The American pushed himself to the top of the pack during the bike leg, which lasted a grueling 49.7 miles (80 km).

She was perhaps lucky enough to avoid a throwing penalty during the bike section after she discarded her water bottle before the boundary of the waste zone, only for the bottle to roll out of the area.

Yet it was during Knibb’s final leg, which included an 11.2-mile (18 km) run, that stole the headlines and displayed a mentality that only elite athletes at the top of their game will understand.

With only a handful of miles to go, the cameras focused on Knibb.

But things quickly took an awkward turn when she told the cameraman: “I’m just f***ing with myself. So you can’t have my a**?”

It was an honest admission that was duly noted by the broadcast crew, who film athletes throughout their race and may not be aware of the difficulties they face on their way to the finish line.

Australian Ashleigh Gentle managed to close the gap on race leader Knibb to under a minute, but the American slowly pulled away as she finished the race with a time of one hour, six minutes and 26 seconds.

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Knibb’s total time for the brutal 100km ordeal was three hours, 29 minutes and 17 seconds, with silver medalist Julie Derron finishing almost two minutes behind.

After the race, Knibb revealed that she knew she would be in for a tough race given the physical condition she was in earlier in the morning.

“I woke up and let my coach know I feel tough,” Knibb said.

“I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be a bad day.’

“I was a bit shocked, it only came together in the last three kilometers but it was brutal out there.

“I think it was more physical (than mental). It was easier because you don’t have to deal with your body.”

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Knibb’s triumph in the T100 Triathlon World Championship follows her silver medal from the Paris Olympics.

In the French capital, Knibb finished second as part of the US mixed relay team.

It was Knibb’s second Olympic silver medal after achieving the same finish in the event at the Tokyo 2020 Games.