Barbara De Koning

A front pack swimmer with a winning habit and a bright future in the sport, De Koning is one of the rising talents on the supertri scene.

The 21-year-old is no stranger to supertri action either. She won the girl’s race in Malta in 2019 with a dominant performance, and also has supertri E experience having competed in all three events last year in Munich, London and Singapore, with a best place finish of eighth in the Far East. Last year she returned for more indoor action in the grand finale in London and finished 14th.

De Koning followed that up with a full season in supertri, representing Bahrain Victorious Scorpions in the first three races before a loan move to the Sharks for the finale in NEOM.

A successful junior athlete, with six European Junior Cup podiums including three wins, to add to four Dutch national junior titles, De Koning also finished sixth in the Youth Olympic Games in Bueno Aires in 2018.

Racing has been more challenging in the senior ranks, but more continental cup podiums have followed and she has picked up valuable experience having raced four times on the World Triathlon Championship Series together with three World Cup outings – the best result being 18th place in Tiszaújváros in July over the sprint distance, having qualified in ninth from the semi-final. 

De Koning also fought back from a fall on the run in Krakow, Poland to finish 13th at the European Games in June 2023.

Growing up in Britain she regularly competed in track and cross-country races for Milton Keynes Athletic Club, becoming Buckinghamshire cross-country champion, and swam at a regional level for the South East, as well as being a multiple winner as a junior on the British Super Series. 

Kicking off 2023 by racing in continental cups in Africa, she almost produced a clean sweep of five successive victories with two wins in South Africa, plus further successes in Namibia and Morocco, and a second place in  Zimbabwe. It was even more impressive having struggled with an intestinal infection and a parasite in the fortnight leading into her first race.

De Koning has raced a lot in 2024, and has collected two individual podiums in Sharm El Sheikh and Olsztyn.