From USA Triathlon
Summer Rappaport and Taylor Knibb have already punched their tickets to Tokyo.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon will announce its full 2020 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team on Wednesday, June 16, unveiling the roster of athletes who will represent the United States at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 this summer. The announcement will be made via press release and on USA Triathlon’s social channels at 9 a.m. MST. An hour later, the athletes will appear on Facebook Live to share their reactions and discuss preparations for the Tokyo Games, joined by Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO; John Farra, USA Triathlon High Performance General Manager; and Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager, Sponsorship, Integration & Auto Shows, Toyota Motor North America.
Athletes will be available for interviews on Zoom starting at 10:30 a.m. MST for the women’s team, and 11 a.m. MST for the men’s team. Click here to RSVP (must be a member of the media to attend); Zoom links will follow.
Olympic Qualification Process
A maximum of three athletes per country and gender (i.e., three men, three women) can race in Tokyo if three athletes rank in the top-30 of the World Triathlon Individual Olympic Qualification Rankings by the end the World Triathlon Olympic qualification window on June 14, 2021. Based on rankings as of June 14, the U.S. will qualify three women’s spots and two men’s spots for Tokyo.
USA Triathlon designated two Auto-Selection Events for the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, in which athletes had the opportunity to auto-qualify for Tokyo by meeting specific criteria. The two Auto-Selection events were the 2019 ITU World Olympic Qualification Event on Aug. 4, 2019, and the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama on May 15. Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.) became the first woman to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team with a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Tokyo event. Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.) joined Rappaport on the women’s roster by way of her victory May 15 in Yokohama, Japan, while Morgan Pearson (Boulder, Colo.) claimed the first spot on the men’s team thanks to a bronze-medal performance in Yokohama.
All remaining spots on the 2020 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, including at least one male and one female, will be named via discretion by USA Triathlon’s Games Athlete Selection Committee. For a complete explanation of U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team qualifying, click here.
Rappaport, Knibb and Pearson will participate in the June 16 Facebook Live and media availabilities, along with all athletes who will be newly named to the team on Wednesday.
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIATHLON TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT TIMELINE
Wednesday, June 16 (All Times MST)
- 9 a.m. — Team Roster Announced via Press Release, USA Triathlon Social Channels
- 10 a.m. — Facebook Live on USA Triathlon’s Facebook Page, featuring:
o Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO
o John Farra, USA Triathlon High Performance General Manager
o Dedra DeLilli, Toyota Motor North America
o All U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team Members - 10:30 a.m. — Media Availability, Women’s Team (click here to RSVP)
- 11 a.m. — Media Availability, Men’s Team (click here to RSVP)
USA Triathlon will provide photos and video of all U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team members to media upon request. To request photo and video, or to schedule interviews outside of the June 16 media availability, contact Caryn Maconi, USA Triathlon Marketing & Public Relations Senior Manager, at caryn.maconi@usatriathlon.org or 443-534-5954.
To learn more about USA Triathlon at the Olympic Games, visit usatriathlon.org/tokyo2020. USA Triathlon’s Tokyo 2020 Media and Fan Guide will be produced and distributed in the coming weeks.
The Olympic men’s triathlon competition is scheduled for Sunday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. ET (Monday, July 26 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time). The Olympic women’s event is set for Monday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m. ET (Tuesday, July 27 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time). The Mixed Relay, which debuts for the first time as an Olympic medal event, is set for Friday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. ET (Saturday, July 31 at 7:30 a.m. Tokyo time).
About Tokyo United
USA Triathlon is promoting its elite athletes in the lead-up to, during and beyond the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games with its Tokyo United campaign. Tokyo United showcases the resilience, determination and teamwork shown by U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, and the communities surrounding them, on their path to the Games. Tokyo United also refers to the common experience shared by the USA Triathlon family over the last year — from amateur athletes, race directors, coaches and clubs whose racing plans were upended, to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls whose dreams were deferred — and the many ways we lifted each other up in hopes of a more promising 2021.
The three-phased campaign begins with United to Tokyo, showcasing each U.S. Olympic and Paralympic triathlon hopeful’s journey from childhood to the biggest stage in sport — along with the family and support systems that helped them along the way. The second phase, United in Tokyo, brings together the entire multisport community and the global Olympic and Paralympic family to support Team USA at the pinnacle of competition, and to revel in the long-awaited Olympic and Paralympic moment. The final phase, United Beyond Tokyo, will celebrate the achievements of the 2020 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams before passing the torch to aspiring triathletes with Olympic and Paralympic dreams for the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Games.
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 and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,000 events 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).
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