Star U.S. Elite Triathletes to Race At World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari

May 25, 2023

Olympic medalists Katie Zaferes and Gwen Jorgensen to race in Cagliari. Jorgensen, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, returns to race a WTCS event for the first time since 2016.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo./ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – U.S. elite triathletes including No. 2 world ranked Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Olympic medalists Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.) and Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.) will compete this Saturday, May 27, in Cagliari, Italy, at the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari.

Cagliari will see 10 U.S. elite triathletes compete at the third World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) race of the 2023 season, which is a critical year as athletes race for qualifying points ahead of next year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

HOW TO WATCH

Fans can stream World Triathlon events live or on-demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv.

The elite women race coverage begins at 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT, Saturday, May 27 (11 a.m. Cagliari local time).

The elite men follow at 9:15 a.m. ET/6:15 a.m. PT, Saturday, May 27 (3:15 p.m. Cagliari local time).

WHO IS RACING

Six U.S. women elite triathletes will race in Cagliari, led by Spivey, ranked No. 2 in the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Rankings.

A consistent performer, Spivey placed fourth at WTCS Yokohama earlier this month and earned the bronze in the 2023 WTCS season-opener in March in Abu Dhabi. Last year, the U.S. Elite Triathlon National Team member placed in the top 10 in every WTCS appearance, her consistency leading her to fourth in the 2022 WTCS rankings.

Zaferes, who earned Olympic bronze in the individual race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, will race her second WTCS event of the 2023 season. The U.S. Elite Triathlon National Team member took a break from competition last season following the birth of her first child, and started her comeback to elite racing this March at WTCS Abu Dhabi. Since then, Zaferes has raced on the Americas Triathlon Cup circuit, earning three straight podium finishes, including two consecutive wins, to earn important points toward her World Triathlon ranking.

Jorgensen will also race in Cagliari in her first WTCS race since 2016. That year, Jorgensen won gold at the Rio Olympic Games, becoming the first U.S. triathlete to win Olympic gold in the sport of triathlon. In 2017, Jorgensen left triathlon to pursue a running career, but in December of 2022 she announced her comeback to the sport of triathlon. Now a mother of two, Jorgensen opened her 2023 season in February with a third-place finish at the 2023 Oceania Triathlon Cup Taupo and finished second in April’s 2023 Americas Triathlon Cup St. Missouri.

U.S. Elite Triathlon National Team member Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.) comes to Cagliari ranked No. 4 in the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Rankings, following her 10th-place finish in Yokohama and fourth-place finish in Abu Dhabi. A Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Rappaport is a six-time WTCS medalist.

Fellow U.S. Elite Triathlon National Team member Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) ranks 11th in the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Rankings and comes to Cagliari following an eighth place finish in Yokohama. Erika Ackerlund (Helena, Mont.), in her second year on the U.S. Elite National Triathlon Team, placed 13th in Yokohama and opened her season in March with a seventh-place finish at the 2023 World Triathlon Cup New Plymouth.

In the elite men’s race, U.S. Elite Triathlon National members Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.), Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Morgan Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.) will represent the U.S., along with elite up-and-comer Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.).

Rider led the U.S. men in Yokohama, placing 16th. McElroy started his season strong with an eighth-place finish in Abu Dhabi.

2023 World Triathlon Championship Series

The World Triathlon Championship Series is an annual series of triathlon events held in cities around the world 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.

The 2023 season also includes the 2023 World Triathlon Test Event Paris, the first Paris 2024 Olympic Games auto-qualification opportunity for U.S. elite triathletes. The races will take place in the same venue that will host the triathlon and paratriathlon competitions during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Upcoming events

• 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari – May 27-28
• 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal – June 24-25
• 2023 World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships Hamburg – July 13-16
• 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series Sunderland – July 29-30
• *2023 World Triathlon Test Event Paris – Aug. 17-18*
• 2023 World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series Paris – Aug. 20
• *2023 World Triathlon Championship Finals Pontevedra – Sept. 22-24*

* Denotes Paris 2024 Olympics auto-qualifying event

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 4,000 races and connects with more than 400,000 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).

– usatriathlon.org –