Knibb, Zaferes, McElroy Lead U.S. Elite Triathletes in Cagliari

CAGLIARI, Italy — Elite triathletes Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.), Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.) and Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led the U.S. team on Saturday, May 25 at the World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari, the second stop of the 2024 Series and final race before the close of the Olympic Qualification window. 

Knibb, who has already qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, led the U.S. women in Cagliari by placing 11th, with Zaferes right behind in 12th. Zaferes is attempting to make her third U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team.

McElroy, who is attempting to make his first U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, led the U.S. men, finishing 17th.

While not an automatic qualifier for U.S. elite triathletes for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the World Triathlon Championship Series event in Cagliari was an important race for athletes to show their current form ahead of this summer’s Olympics. The Olympic Qualification window ends on May 27.

Knibb and Morgan Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.) have already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The remaining spots on the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team will be filled by the Olympic Games Athlete Selection Panel via Discretionary Selection. The full U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team will be comprised of three women and two men. The team will be announced in June. 

Read here for more information about U.S. qualification procedures for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Knibb came to Cagliari following a silver medal performance in Yokohama on May 11. She followed that race four days later by winning the Elite Women’s Time Trial at the 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships to qualify for the U.S. Cycling Olympic Team. She is currently the only U.S. athlete to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in two sports.

On Saturday, Knibb completed the Olympic-distance course in Cagliari in a time of 1 hour, 48 minutes, 26 seconds. She and U.S. teammates, Taylor Spivey (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) came out of the swim among the lead pack.

The U.S. trio helped set the pace in the lead bike group, which Zaferes caught early in the 40-kilometer bike. The group of about 25 athletes came into the second transition together, where the field's fastest runners — Great Britain's Beth Potter, France's Cassandre Beaugrand and Emma Lombardi, and Germany's Lisa Tertsch — quickly set a hot pace.

Beaugrand sprinted to gold in 1:47:25, Tertsch earned silver in 1:47:28 and Potter finished with the bronze in 1:47:31.

Knibb and Zaferes placed 11th and 12th.

Spivey, who placed fourth in Yokohama, finished 15th. Kasper finished 21st, following her fifth-place showing in Yokohama. Both are attempting to make their first U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team.

McElroy led the U.S. men, showcasing a strong 10k run to finish 17th. He placed 13th in Yokohama.

The race in Cagliari was a duel between Great Britain's Alex Yee and New Zealand's Hayden Wilde. The pair of Olympic medalists battled neck and neck throughout the bike and run, with Yee pulling away late to earn gold, with a time of 1:39:44. Wilde finished in 1:39:46, with Hungary's Csongor Lehmann earning bronze in 1:40:27.

U.S. elite Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.) was the second U.S. man, placing 20th. U.S. teammate Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) placed 38th.

If McElroy, Rider or Smith are selected for the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, the Paris 2024 Games would be each of their first Olympic Games.

Pearson finished 40th. He won gold in Yokohama, becoming the first U.S. man to win a World Series-level race since Jarrod Shoemaker in 2009.

Replays of the races Cagliari are available on-demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv. 

About USA Triathlon

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.