Morgan Pearson becomes first American man to win World Triathlon Series since 2009
On 11 May, Yokohama, Japan hosted the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series race, drawing the sport's top competitors. This event also marked the last opportunity for U.S. triathletes to auto-secure quotas for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Morgan Pearson's historic win marked the first time a U.S. man has claimed victory in a World Triathlon Series event since 2009 while Taylor Knibb's silver-medal performance secured another podium finish for the American team.
The rest of Team USA trailed closely behind, the stakes higher than ever.
Morgan Pearson swam, biked, and ran his way to gold in Yokohama, Japan
Morgan Pearson arrived in Yokohama with clear goals: to complete his collection of medals and send a message ahead of Paris 2024. He achieved both, securing his fourth World Triathlon Championship Series medal and first gold.
He made history in the process, by becoming the first U.S. man to win a World Triathlon Series event since 2009 when Jarrod Shoemaker won the race in Hamburg.
Pearson finished his historic race in one hour, 42 minutes, and five seconds, running the fastest 10k of the field.
“Everyone wants to win. You can be in the shape of your life and still have things go wrong or someone be fitter. You just have to show up and give it your best and today my best was good enough,” Pearson said.
The seven-time NCAA All-American runner ended a gold medal drought for the American men and signaled a strong start to the season for the U.S. triathlon team.
Three Team USA Olympic quotas still up for grabs
Pearson's teammate and fellow Tokyo 2020 mixed relay silver medallist Taylor Knibb was the only other U.S. triathlete to end up on the podium, finishing her race behind France's Leonie Perialut with a time of 1:53:04. Despite missing out on gold, her strong performance in the bike leg of the race established her as a strong contender in the capital of France.
"Definitely a unique week for me personally, but incredibly grateful to be back on the WTCS circuit and for the opportunity for my team and me to see where we are. There lots of areas that need improvement, but thrilled to come away with second," Knibb posted on social media.
Both Knibb and Pearson had already secured their quotas last year at the 2023 World Triathlon Paris Test Event so the battles behind them were even more significant to the race to the Games.
So, with no new team members emerging from Yokohama, the remaining team spots are still up for grabs. The U.S. plans to send three women and two men, with the final spots for the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team will be decided by the Olympic Games Athlete Selection Panel through Discretionary Selection.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Taylor Spivey: “I'm headed in the right direction.”
As for the rest of Team USA, the U.S. was the only country on Saturday to place three women in the top 10.
World number four Taylor Spivey finished fourth in the race in a time of 1:53:25. She has been one of the most consistent performers on the circuit, with two podium finishes across the 2023 season. But she remains hopeful of obtaining an Olympic quota:
“I knew there were a lot of strong runners in our bike pack. To come off the bike and be in the mix with them was really reassuring after, you know, finishing the year with a stress reaction and starting the year with a few sicknesses that set me back in training,” Spivey shared. “So I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m really happy to see that I’m headed in the right direction.”
Kirsten Kasper also came close to the podium, placing fifth with 1:53:34.
All eyes were also on Rio 2016 Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen, who crossed the finish line in 15th place as part of her return to the world of triathlon. She began competing again in 2022 hoping to make her third Olympic appearance.
U.S. Finishers Women
2. Taylor Knibb (Boulder, Colo.), 1:53.04
4. Taylor Spivey (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), 1:53:25
5. Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.), 1:53:34
15. Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.), 1:54:42
49. Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.), 2:00:50
U.S. Finishers Men
1. Morgan Pearson (New Vernon, N.J.), 1:42:05
13. Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 1:43.12
25. Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.), 1:44.01
26. Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.), 1:44.09
47. Kevin McDowell (Geneva, Ill.), 1:48.19
The next World Triathlon Championship Series race will take place on 25 May in Cagliari, Italy, with the close of the Triathlon Olympic qualification window on May 27.
As the Olympic deadline approaches, the U.S. Triathlon lineup for Paris 2024 is soon to be confirmed. After their silver in the Tokyo 2020 mixed relay, hopes are high for Team USA to assemble a team capable of bringing home the gold.