Spivey and Rappaport Compete in Final Stage of the Super Sprint World Champs in Hamburg

HAMBURG, Germany – U.S. Elite Triathlon National Team Members Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.) made it to the final stage of the three-round finals at the debut Super Sprint World Championships in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday, July 15.  

As part of the World Triathlon Championship Series, the first-ever Super Sprint World Championships tested the elites for speed and endurance through two days of multi-round short course (300-meter swim, 7.5-kilometer bike, 1.6k run) competitions.  

After surviving the qualification races on Friday, seven U.S. elites advanced to Saturday's Finals. The first stage had 30 athletes toe the line, with the bottom 10 finishers eliminated. On the women’s side, four out of the five U.S. competing elites advanced. Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.) crossed the line first for the U.S., finishing sixth with a time of 21 minutes, 48 seconds. She was followed by Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) in 12th (21:48), Rappaport in 16th (21:49) and Spivey in 18th (21:51). 

In stage two, only the top 10 of the 20 competitors advanced to the third and final winner takes all round. Rappaport crossed the line eighth (21:50) and Spivey ninth (21:51) as the two U.S. elites to qualify to the finals.  

To finish the long day of super speedy racing, the final 10 women competed in the third stage. Ultimately, Spivey landed at seventh overall, clocking a final time of 21:59. Rappaport placed 10th with a time of 22:30. With the result, Spivey and Rappaport both remain in the top three in the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series rankings, with Spivey second and Rappaport third.

On the men’s side, Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.) and Matt McElroy (Redondo Beach, Calif.) were the two to represent the U.S. after making it through the qualification period.  

In the first stage, Rider swiftly finished in the top 20 to advance to the second stage. He placed 19th with a time of 19:49, but was eliminated in the second stage after finishing 16th.  

The U.S. will compete on Sunday in the Mixed Relay World Championships. Last year, the U.S. earned the bronze in the Mixed Relay World Championships in Montreal.

The next stop on the World Triathlon Championship Series calendar is Sunderland, Great Britain on July 29-30, followed by the 2023 World Triathlon Olympic Games Test Event Paris Aug. 17-18.

2023 World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg 
300m swim | 7.5k bike | 1.6k run – Complete Results 

**designates qualification to next round 

U.S. Men’s Finals Stage 1 Finishers 
19. Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.), 19:49** 
26. Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 20:16 

U.S. Women’s Finals Stage 1 Finishers 
6. Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.), 21:48** 
12. Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.), 21:48** 
16. Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.), 21:49** 
18. Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 21:51** 
30. Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.), 22:46 

U.S. Men’s Finals Stage 2 Finishers 
16. Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.), 19:55 

U.S. Women’s Finals Stage 2 Finishers 
8. Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.), 21:50** 
9. Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 21:51** 
14. Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.), 22:00 
18. Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.), 22:19 

U.S. Women’s Finals Stage 3 Finishers 
7. Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 21:59 
10. Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.), 22:30