U.S. elite triathletes, led by No. 1 ranked Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.) head to Canada this weekend to compete in the fourth stop of the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) at the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal.
As the sole North American stop on the WTCS calendar, Montreal will host eight Team USA elites for two days of competition as Saturday, June 24 sets the sprint-distance stage for the individual events, while Sunday will see national team competition with the mixed relay event.
HOW TO WATCH
Fans can stream World Triathlon events live or on-demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv.
The elite women race coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT, Saturday, June 24. The elite men follow at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT, Saturday, June 24.
The mixed relay competition will take place on Sunday, June 25 with a 10 a.m. ET/7:00 a.m. start time.
WHO IS RACING
Spivey tops the women’s start list and spearheads the five U.S. women racing in Montreal as she currently leads the Series in the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Rankings.
After collecting a slew of fourth-place finishes last season, Spivey has showcased her medal motivation this season by earning the bronze medal in the WTCS season opener in Abu Dhabi and most recently in Cagliari, Italy. The two podiums catapulted her to the top of the rankings and she now enters Montreal looking for her first career WTCS victory. The Quebec city also holds a history of success for Spivey as she earned the bronze medal in Montreal in 2021.
Fellow U.S. Elite Triathlon National team member Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.) is currently ranked fourth in the Series. A consistent performer, Rappaport has finished in the top-10 in every WTCS event so far this season, with her top finish being fourth in Abu Dhabi.
Taylor Knibb (Boulder, Colo.) comes to Montreal for her second WTCS event of the season, following her victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder. This week, Knibb joined professional cycling team Trek-Segafredo; in addition to racing on the WTCS circuit, Knibb plans to race several cycling events, including the U.S. National Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Rounding out the women’s U.S. start list is Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) and Erika Ackerlund (Helena, Mont.). Kasper is currently ranked 14th in the Series and coming off a 17th-place finish in Cagliari. Ackerlund, who is competing in her second WTCS season, is ranked 30th with Montreal as her third event in the circuit.
In the elite men's race, U.S. Elite Triathlon National members Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.) will represent Team USA, along with elite and Project Podium alum Chase McQueen (Columbus, Ind.).
McElroy earned a top-10 finish in Abu Dhabi, opening the season with an eighth-place result. As well as Rider comes to Montreal with a season-best 16th place finish in Yokohama.
The full WTCS Montreal start lists can be found here.
MIXED RELAY
Following the individual events on Saturday, a team of four U.S. elites (two men, two women) will join together to compete in the mixed relay race on Sunday.
The U.S. has podiumed in Montreal in the mixed relay event the last two years, earning the bronze medal last year and winning in 2021.
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 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
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