U.S. elite triathlete Taylor Spivey.
U.S. Elite Triathletes Begin 2025 World Triathlon Championship Series Season at Abu Dhabi
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by USA Triathlon
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Five U.S. elite triathletes, including Olympic Games Paris 2024 mixed relay medalists Taylor Spivey and Morgan Pearson, will kick off the 2025 elite racing season this weekend, Feb. 15-16 at the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi.
At the start of a new Olympic quad leading to the LA 2028 Olympic Games, U.S. elite triathletes return to racing following a successful 2024 season during which the U.S. won a silver medal in the Mixed Relay at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The traditional season-opener, World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi kicks off the WTCS season, which includes six Series races leading to the World Triathlon Championship Finals Wollongong in October. WTCS Abu Dhabi sees a brand new course at Hudayriat Island for the 10th edition of the event, which includes men's and women's elite races on Saturday, Feb. 15, and a Mixed Relay event on Sunday, Feb. 16. The race starts with a 750-meter swim in Bul Sayayeef Marine Reserve and then transitions to a three-lap 20-kilometer bike with long sweeping bends and tight, technical sections, before wrapping up with a fast and flat 5k run.
HOW TO WATCH
Fans can watch all WTCS events live or on-demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv. U.S. fans can use the promo code USA25 to sign up for a 10% discounted annual subscription. The platform is available on all browsers at www.triathlonlive.tv and the TriathlonLive app for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. ThirathlonLIVE is compatible with Chromecast, Apple TV, and Android TV.
The elite women race first at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, Feb. 15 (5 a.m. EST). The elite men follow at 4 p.m. local time (7 a.m. EST).
WHO IS RACING
Five U.S. elite triathletes are scheduled to race in Abu Dhabi: Taylor Spivey, Gwen Jorgensen, Erika Ackerlund, Morgan Pearson, and John Reed.
Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.) won an Olympic silver medal in the Mixed Relay at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last summer and led the U.S. women in the individual race, placing 10th. She comes to Abu Dhabi with podium success, earning bronze there in 2023 and silver in 2019.
Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.) returns to Abu Dhabi where she won in 2015, part of her unprecedented 13 consecutive wins at World Triathlon Series events. The feat earned the moniker "Gwensanity." The 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist has won five World Cup races since returning to the sport of triathlon in 2023.
Ackerlund (Helena, Mont.) had several top-10 finishes at World Cup races in 2024 and represented the U.S. at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, leading the U.S. women with a seventh-place finish.
Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.) won his second Olympic medal in Paris as a member of the U.S. Olympic Mixed Relay team. One of triathlon's fastest runners, Pearson won WTCS Yokohama in May last year, the first U.S. man to win a WTCS event since 2009.
An up-and-comer, Reed (Virginia Beach, Va.) last season placed sixth at the World Triathlon U23 World Championships, the best result by a U.S. man at U23 World Championships since Tokyo 2020 Olympian Kevin McDowell's fourth-place finish in 2015.
The full Abu Dhabi start lists can be found here.
2025 WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE
Elite triathletes will compete in World Triathlon races across the globe, including the World Triathlon Championship Series. The WTCS, which began in 2009, is an annual series of triathlon events where athletes compete head-to-head for points. The rankings are used to determine the best-performing triathletes of the season and, ultimately, the World Champions.
Series schedule:
WTCS Abu Dhabi | Feb. 15-16
WTCS Yokohama | May 17
WTCS Italy | May 31
WTCS Hamburg & Mixed Relay World Championships | July 12-13
WTCS Karlovy Vary | Sept. 14
WTCS Weihai | Sept. 26
Championship Finals Wollongong | Oct. 15-19
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 Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
