USA Triathlon Announces 2024 U.S Olympic Triathlon Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced its selections for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, the five athletes who will represent the United States in the Triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.), Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.), Morgan Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.) and Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.) have been selected to compete for the U.S. this summer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the Triathlon competitions scheduled for July 30-31 and Aug. 5 in the heart of Paris.

“This is an extremely talented and decorated team that brings a wealth of medal potential and experience into the Games,” said Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Triathlon High Performance General Manager. “We have several athletes capable of earning an Olympic medal both in the individual events in Paris and in the Mixed Relay, and we are excited to see what they can accomplish. The depth of talent among our U.S. athletes is incredible, with more individuals deserving of a nod than spots available. I want to acknowledge the difficult decisions the Games Athlete Selection Panel faced to finalize this talented team. The future of Triathlon and our U.S. athletes is bright and we are all looking forward to seeing what unfolds this summer and beyond.”

“These exceptional athletes represent the sport of Triathlon at its best — their strength, resilience and commitment to excellence is unmatched,” said Victoria Brumfield, USA Triathlon CEO. “These athletes set their sights on Paris and knew exactly what it would take to get there. Throughout the entire selection period, these athletes have demonstrated unparalleled dedication, perseverance, and raw talent earning their place on the world stage through relentless hard work and unwavering drive. We are thrilled to support them as they pursue Olympic glory in Paris. Personally, I could not be more proud to congratulate this incredible team who has ignited the spark in all of us to chase our dreams. We will all be cheering you on in Paris.”

Paris 2024 will be Knibb’s second Olympic Games. She won Olympic silver in the Mixed Relay at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Knibb is also qualified for the U.S. Cycling Olympic Team for Paris 2024 by winning the Elite Women’s Time Trial at the 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships last month. She is currently the only U.S. athlete to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in two sports.

A triathlete since childhood, Knibb grew up doing triathlons with her mother, Leslie, who is a longtime triathlete and triathlete coach. Knibb raced in USA Triathlon’s youth and junior elite circuit while running for her school’s cross-country and track teams (Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.) and swimming with Nation’s Capital Swim Club. She won the 2016 and 2017 Junior World Championships and the 2018 Under-23 World Championships — one of just three women to capture world titles at both the Junior and U23 levels. Knibb is a 2020 graduate of Cornell University, where she ran NCAA track and cross-country for four years while balancing her elite triathlon career. She also joined the Cornell swim team her senior year. Knibb has earned 29 World Triathlon podiums, including 14 wins. She lives and trains in Boulder, Colorado, and is coached by Dan Lorang.

In addition to short-course triathlon, Knibb also races IRONMAN long-course races. In 2022, Knibb became the youngest woman to win the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. She defended her IRONMAN 70.3 title in 2023. Knibb made her full IRONMAN debut at the 2023 IRONMAN World Championships in Hawaii where she placed fourth, top among U.S. women. 

“The Olympics are so unique and special that it is really difficult to find the right words to describe what it means to represent the U.S. at my second Olympics. It is a huge honor — and I am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity,” Knibb said.

Spivey, 33, is one of the most consistent elite triathletes in the world, finishing the World Triathlon Championship Series fourth in 2023 and 2022. She makes her Olympic debut in Paris.

Spivey has earned 14 World Triathlon podiums during her career and has been a key member of the U.S. Mixed Relay team. She was on the U.S. team that won silver at the 2020 Mixed Relay World Championships and the Mixed Relay World Championships bronze medal team in 2022.

Spivey’s mother is a former professional triathlete and current Masters swimming national champion, and her dad is a successful age-group athlete. Growing up in California, Spivey’s first competitive open water swim experiences were as an ocean lifeguard. She was the overall national champion at the 2011 and 2012 Ocean Lifeguard Nationals, as well as a member of the USA Lifesaving International team from 2009-2014. Spivey went on to become an NCAA swimmer for California Polytechnic State University. She specialized in long distance freestyle while earning a degree in architecture.

During her fourth year, Spivey studied abroad in Florence, Italy, tried a triathlon as an alternative way of training and USA Triathlon Certified Coach Greg Mueller contacted her after seeing her result. When Spivey returned for her final year at Cal Poly, she not only completed her final year on the swim team, but also joined the club triathlon team. At the 2014 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships, she earned the women’s overall draft-legal national title while representing Cal Poly. She then began her elite triathlon career, earning her first elite international podium in 2015.

Spivey lives and trains abroad in Girona, Spain, and is coached by Paulo Sousa.

“Going into this Olympic cycle, I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to earn a spot on the team,” said Spivey. “In 2020, I was so close and felt like it was within reach and it was so heartbreaking that I wasn’t selected. So, to have such a consistently good four years competing going into this Olympic cycle felt really great and I am excited to be able to represent the U.S. in Paris.”

Kasper, 32, will make her Olympic debut in Paris. She was introduced to triathlon in 2014 through USA Triathlon’s Collegiate Recruitment Program, which identifies top NCAA runners and/or swimmers who have the potential to excel as triathletes. Kasper had a standout running career at NCAA Division I Georgetown University where she was a scoring member of the 2011 D1 NCAA Cross Country National Championships team. While at Georgetown, she received her bachelor’s degree in marketing and management, then she earned her master’s degree in sports management.

She saw immediate success when began her triathlon career in 2014 being named USA Triathlon Rookie of the Year. For years, Kasper has been a key member of the U.S. Mixed Relay team. She was a member of the 2016 Mixed Relay World Championships gold medal team, the Mixed Relay World Championships silver medal team in 2017 and the Mixed Relay World Championships bronze medal team in 2018. Kasper is a 17-time World Triathlon podium finisher.

She is married to elite triathlete and Canadian Olympian Matthew Sharpe. They live in Boulder, Colorado, and Kasper is coached by Nate Wilson.

“To represent the U.S. is incredible,” said Kasper. “I have been dreaming about this since I was a kid. It’s been a family effort from my parents, to my husband to my support dog, Reggie. This is my third time trying to make the Olympic Team and this really shows that dreams do come true.”

Paris 2024 will be Pearson’s second Olympic Games. He made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, anchoring the U.S. Mixed Relay team that won silver. One of triathlon’s best runners, Pearson, 30, is originally from Spring Lake, New Jersey, where he grew up as a competitive swimmer, ocean lifeguard and promising high school runner. He ran cross-country and track & field at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was a seven-time All-American. After winning the overall title at the USA Triathlon Age Group Sprint National Championships in 2017, he debuted as an elite triathlete in 2018.

Pearson’s big breakout happened in 2021, when he won bronze at the World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama, punching his ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. He followed that with a bronze at the World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds, becoming the first U.S. male triathlete to earn multiple World Triathlon Championship Series medals. He’s earned two more medals at the World Triathlon Championship Series level: the 2022 Championship Finals in Abu Dhabi and the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama this May when he earned his first WTCS gold.

Pearson currently trains in Superior, Colorado, and is coached by Ryan Bolton.

“I look forward to the chance of redemption and having family and friends coming to watch my race at what I think will be an amazing venue for a triathlon race,” Pearson said.

Rider, 27, will make his Olympic debut in Paris. Growing up near Memphis, Tennessee, Rider is a lifelong triathlete who watched his father and brothers compete in triathlon. He started racing triathlon at 6-years-old and came up through USA Triathlon’s Youth and Junior elite triathlon circuit, and hasn’t stopped since. In 2014, Rider represented the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games and in 2015 he won the USA Triathlon Junior Elite National Championships.

He was named USA Triathlon’s 2018 U23 Athlete of the Year and has been a member of the U.S. Elite Triathlon National Team since 2019. He has been a key member of the U.S. Mixed Relay Team, helping the team win bronze at the 2022 Mixed Relay World Championships. Rider has also raced off-road mountain biking triathlons, placing fourth at the 2021 XTERRA World Championships.

When asked what he felt was an important part of his story as a triathlete, he said growing up as a lifelong triathlete helped shape who he was, emphasizing the impact the grassroots racing community in the Southeast U.S. had on his development as an athlete and igniting his love for the sport.

Rider lives and trains abroad in Girona, Spain and is coached by Paulo Sousa.

“Triathlon was the first sport I ever did, which seems to be unique compared to other kids who grew up playing other sports. You don’t play triathlon, you do it and that has really been my mindset. I grew up competing in local age group races in the southeast and worked my way through every part of USA Triathlon from their Youth and Junior National Championships and up through their development programs,” said Rider. “In 2014 I represented the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games and it felt like a miniature Olympics. That’s what really sparked my Olympic dream. It’s crazy to have something that I’ve been thinking about and dreaming about daily for the past 10 years become a reality. I still don’t think it’s hit me.”

Knibb and Pearson both auto-qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics at the 2023 World Triathlon Olympic Test Event in Paris last summer.

Spivey, Kasper and Rider were named to the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team via Discretionary Selection by USA Triathlon’s Games Athlete Selection Panel. Athletes were selected, taking into account their full resume of results during the Olympic Qualification Period from May 2022 to May 2024.

Triathlon at the Olympic Games will include individual competitions for men and women, as well as a Mixed Relay, which made its debut as an Olympic medal event at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

In the individual events, athletes cover a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run. In the Mixed Relay, four athletes from the same country (two men, two women) compete on a team. Each athlete covers a 300m swim, 6.8k bike and 2k run before tagging off to the next teammate, with the fastest combined time winning the race. The order of competition for the Paris 2024 Olympics is man-woman-man-woman. The U.S. won Olympic silver at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The Olympic men’s triathlon competition is scheduled for Tuesday, July 30, at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET).

The Olympic women’s triathlon event is Wednesday, July 31, at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET).

The Mixed Relay is set for Monday, Aug. 5 at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET).

For streaming and broadcast information, visit NBC’s website here.

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USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon, paratriathlon, and indoor and virtual multisport events in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 3,500 events and races and connects with and supports more than 300,000 unique active members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.