USA Triathlon has announced the 11 members of its 2021 US National Team, the group of athletes who will represent the US at the highest levels of elite World Triathlon competition during the 2021 season. The 2021 Toyota US Paratriathlon National Team will be announced in the coming weeks.
USA Triathlon also launched its Tokyo United campaign, which will promote and tell the stories of the hopefuls and eventual members of the 2020 US Olympic and Paralympic Triathlon Teams.
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to take place this summer from July 24 to August 9, and the Paralympic Games from August 24 to September 5.
Headlining the women’s US National Team are Summer Rappaport (Thornton, CO), the only athlete currently qualified for the 2020 US Olympic Team via her performance at the 2019 Tokyo Olympic Qualification Event; and 2019 World Triathlon champion Katie Zaferes (Cary, NC), who is vying for her second Olympic berth after debuting at the Olympic Games Rio 2016.
Also on the roster are: Taylor Spivey, Tamara Gorman, Taylor Knibb and Kirsten Kasper.
The men’s US National Team features Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, CA), who made history in 2019 by becoming just the second US man in history to medal in a World Triathlon Series race; Morgan Pearson (Boulder, CO), a two-time World Cup medallist and the highest-placing U.S. man at the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final; and Eli Hemming (Kiowa, CO), a four-time World Cup medalist.
Other male athletes on the roster are: Kevin McDowell and Seth Rider.
“With a combination of seasoned competitors who continually excel on the world stage, and remarkable up-and-coming talent, the 2021 US National Team is perhaps one of the deepest fields of athletes USA Triathlon has put forward in a single season,” said John Farra, USA Triathlon High Performance General Manager.
“Our athletes are eager to showcase their hard work at the highest levels of the sport, culminating for some at the Tokyo Olympic Games. USA Triathlon is proud to promote and celebrate these athletes, and we cannot wait to see what they achieve during the 2021 season.”
Toyota partners with USA Triathlon and the US National Team
“We’re proud to support USA Triathlon’s 2021 US National Team,” said Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager, Olympic and Paralympic Marketing at Toyota Motor North America.
“The naming of the National Team roster is an exciting milestone, and we wish these athletes all the success this season. Their determination and perseverance is admirable, and we look forward to seeing them compete.”
USA Triathlon will promote its elite athletes in the lead-up to, during and beyond the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games with the launch of its Tokyo United campaign.
‘Tokyo United showcases the resilience, determination and teamwork shown by US 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 US 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 US 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, aims to bring together the entire multisport community and the global Olympic and Paralympic family to support Team USA, and to revel in the long-awaited Olympic and Paralympic moment.
The final phase, United Beyond Tokyo, will celebrate the achievements of the 2020 US 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.
USA Triathlon will also create a Paralympic version of the Tokyo United logo, which will be unveiled with the upcoming announcement of the Toyota US Paratriathlon National Team.
2021 US National Team Roster
Women
Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.)
Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.)
Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.)
Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.)
Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Katie Zaferes (Cary, N.C.)
Men
Eli Hemming (Kiowa, Colo.)
Kevin McDowell (Geneva, Ill.)
Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Morgan Pearson (Boulder, Colo.)
Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.)
