Last summer, heads were turned as WTCS race winner Taylor Knibb took on the US National Time Trial Championships and managed to finish 4th. All of a sudden, Knibb seemed a legitimate contender to qualify for the American team in the time trial at the Paris Olympics and the prospect of a triathlete competing at a second sport in the same Games became very much real.
Earlier this week Knibb turned the prospect into a reality.
The American athlete flew directly from WTCS Yokohama, where she won the silver medal, to the American Time Trial Championships. Having raced in the WTCS on Saturday, she faced her cycling challenge on Wednesday. The short turnaround proved no issue as Knibb won by 11 seconds, defeating her closest challenger Kristen Faulkner. Her final time on the 33.7km course was 41:59.
The defending American champion and world champion, Chloe Dygert, was not present as she had already secured her own Olympic qualification.
As a result, Knibb has punched her ticket to the Olympic Games in a second sport. The time trial in Paris will take place a few days before the triathlon events. Assuming Knibb races both the individual and relay events in triathlon (which is a fairly safe bet as she was part of the silver medal winning American relay in Tokyo), she will face the following schedule:
- 27th July Women’s Time Trial
- 31st July Women’s Triathlon
- 5th August Mixed Team Relay Triathlon
Other athletes have previously competed at two sports at the same competition. For example, World Cup winner Anahi Alvarez Corral of Mexico competed in triathlon and athletics at the 2023 Pan American Games. No one, however, has attempted an Olympic double like Knibb.
To cap a busy month, the American athlete will take on WTCS Cagliari in nine days. Should she add another medal to her season haul, Knibb will reinforce the notion that she could possibly leave Paris with three medals.
