Meet 2024 Paris Olympian Taylor Knibb!
by USA Triathlon
Taylor Knibb has been on a kick for the last three years. The youngest woman to qualify for a U.S Triathlon Olympic team, Knibb was ¼ of the team that secured a silver medal in the Mixed Triathlon Relay at the Tokyo 2020 Games (along with Katie Zaferes, Kevin McDowell and Morgan Pearson).
Find out how the 26-year-old triathlete discovered multisport in her hometown of Washington, D.C.!
Name: Taylor Knibb
Age: 26 (Feb. 14, 1998)
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Current Residence: Boulder, Colo.
College: Cornell University '20, Psychology
Fun Fact: Taylor Knibb is the only U.S. athlete qualified in two different sports for Paris! Read more on her cycling qualification here!
Knibb was inspired to become a triathlete as a child after she watched her mom, Leslie Knibb, compete in an IRONMAN race and noticed the positive atmosphere. She tried a kids’ race and was hooked on the sport from there, working her way through USA Triathlon’s youth elite and junior elite pipelines. Up to this day, her favorite part of competing in triathlons is the camaraderie within the triathlon community, as well as the challenge of always growing and improving within the sport.
In high school, she joined her school’s cross-country team and swam for Nation's Capital Swim Club while continuing to compete in triathlons. She was named the Washington D.C. Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year and the D.C. State Athletic Association Runner of the Year in both 2014 and 2015. She was the 2015 and 2016 USA Triathlon Junior Elite national champion, the 2015 ITU Junior World Championships silver medalist, the 2016 and 2017 ITU Junior World Champion and the 2018 Under-23 World Champion— one of just three women ever to capture world titles at both the Junior and U23 levels. She also became the youngest woman to earn a spot on the podium at an ITU World Triathlon Series race in 2017, earning silver in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Knibb also races IRONMAN long-course races. Knibb is a 2020 graduate of Cornell, 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.
In 2022, Knibb became the youngest woman to ever win the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah. She defended her IRONMAN 70.3 title in 2023. Also 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.
Tell us a little bit about your family (parents, siblings, children, spouse, etc.):
My mom is Leslie Knibb and my dad is Bob Knibb. I also have a younger brother, Jack.
What is your earliest memory of doing triathlon?
I did my first triathlon, the Tri Columbia Kidz Triathlon, in 2009!
Who in your life has been instrumental in bringing you along in your triathlon career?
My parents, Bob and Leslie Knibb, who also races in triathlons.
Favorite bike ride location?
Boulder, CO
Career Highlights
2023 IRONMAN World Championships: 4th overall, first U.S. athlete
2023: PTO U.S. Open: Gold medalist
2023 World Triathlon Olympic Games Test Event Paris: 5th (Qualified for Paris 2024)
2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion
2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion
2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Rankings: Third overall
2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Rankings: Second overall
2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Finals Edmonton: Gold medalist
2020 U.S. Olympic Games Tokyo: Mixed Relay Silver Medalist
2020 Olympic Games Tokyo: Individual 16th
2019 ITU U23-Junior Mixed Relay World Championships bronze medalist
2019 ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series Edmonton bronze medalist
2018 ITU Under-23 World Champion
2018 ITU Triathlon World Cup Lausanne silver medalist
Two-time ITU Junior World Champion (2016, 2017)
2017 USA Triathlon U23 National Champion
2017 Sarasota CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup bronze medalist
2016 Montreal ITU Triathlon World Cup bronze medalist
2016 Kitzbühel ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup gold medalist
2015, 2016 USA Triathlon Junior National Champion
2015 ITU Junior World Championships silver medalist