Star U.S. Elite Triathletes to Race this Saturday at 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — U.S. elite triathletes will race in Cagliari, Italy, this 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. 

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

Two U.S. athletes have already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics: Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.) and Morgan Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.), who will each race at their second Olympics in Paris. The final spots on the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team will be filled by the Olympic Games Athlete Selection Panel via Discretionary Selection. The U.S. is expected to field a team of three women and two men. The full U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team will be announced in June. 

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

SCHEDULE 

Both the elite women and elite men will race on Saturday, May 25. The elite women race at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), while the elite men race at 3:15 p.m. local time (9:15 a.m. ET).  

HOW TO WATCH 

Broadcast of the races in Cagliari is available live and on demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv. 

WHO IS RACING

Taylor Spivey (Manhattan Beach, Calif) comes to Cagliari as the top-ranked U.S. elite triathlete, ranked No. 4 in the World Triathlon rankings. She placed fourth at WTCS Yokohama on May 11 and last year in Cagliari she earned bronze, her second WTCS medal performance of the 2023 season. 

Knibb will also race in Cagliari, coming off a silver medal performance in Yokohama. 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. 

No. 17 in the world, Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) is the third-ranked U.S. woman and comes to Cagliari on a recent hot streak. She finished fifth in Yokohama and earned the bronze at the World Triathlon Cup Hong Kong in March. 

Tokyo 2020 Olympian Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.) is currently ranked No. 20, while fellow Tokyo Olympian Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.) comes to Cagliari ranked No. 23. A two-time medalist from Tokyo 2020, Zaferes is attempting to make her third Olympic team.

Four U.S. men will race in Cagliari, including Morgan Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.), Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) and Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.).

Pearson won in Yokohama, becoming the first U.S. man to win a World Series-level race since Jarrod Shoemaker in 2009. He will wear the No. 1 in Cagliari. 

McElroy placed 13th in Yokohama and started his season in March with a ninth-place finish at the World Triathlon Cup Hong Kong in March. Last November, McElroy represented the U.S. at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games, earning silver. 

Smith and Rider come to Cagliari after placing 25th and 26th in Yokohama. 

To view the full start lists for Cagliari, read here. 

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.