Triathlon is an individual sport. However, now that the Olympic Qualification process with the ITU is over and Team USA has qualified three men’s and three women’s start slots for the Beijing Olympic Games, I want to take a minute to recognize the great teamwork that made it happen. 

 

First let’s go back to Des Moines, Iowa for the ITU World Cup event in June of 2007. There, all of the American women, led out of the water and through the bike by Sara McLarty, put two and a half minutes on the field and Laura Bennett emerged from the small bike group onto the run where she was fresh enough to survive the brutal heat and tough competitors and win the race and the biggest prize in our sport at the time while qualifying for the Pan Am Games. Following that race, Laura returned the favor to Sara by giving up her Pan Am Games spot so that Sara could strengthen the American team in Rio at the Games. Sara competed in Rio with a horrible cold, but again led her teammates Julie Swail Ertel and Sarah Haskins Kortuem out of the water and onto the bike where the trio again worked flawlessly together and established an insurmountable lead onto the run where Julie seized the Gold medal and Sarah took the silver, essentially sealing the 3 women’s start positions for the 2008 Olympic Games. 

 

Fast forward to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in April of 2008 where Matt Reed breaks away at the end of the bike portion and runs away from Andy Potts and Hunter Kemper to earn his spot on the Olympic Games team for Beijing…or so he thought. With the U.S. qualifying system allowing for 1 athlete to qualify at the test event in Beijing in 2007 (Jarrod Shoemaker) and a second athlete who is the most consistent over the Trials process to make the team, the third athlete on the team (should the U.S. have 3 slots) would be the winner of the Olympic Trials.  Unfortunately, with Matt’s illness in 2006 and Hunter Kemper’s injury over the last 12 months, the U.S. had fallen in the ITU qualification system that determines which 8 countries would get 3 slots. If Matt and Hunter didn’t start earning points fast, the third slot would be in jeopardy and Matt’s spot on the Olympic team would not be secure. This is where it gets good.

 

Matt was already scheduled to race the next weekend in Florida at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon where he would successfully defend his title from 2007. But the following weekend he made plans to travel around the world to Richards Bay, South Africa where he finished second in a sprint finish to 2007 World Champ Daniel Unger of Germany. At this race, Matt was supported by his American teammates Brian Fleischmann, who helped Matt with his signature breakaway effort at the end of the bike portion, and Matt Chrabot who skillfully slowed the pack down from behind, allowing Brian and Reed to gain a few more precious seconds over the chasers for the run. Reed earned the points he needed to put the USA back in the game for the 3^rd men’s slot, but a Russian athlete also scored well and temporarily moved the USA down to the 9^th ranked country of the eight who would earn three spots. 

 

A few weeks later, Matt Reed traveled to Madrid, Spain for another World Cup. A supporting cast of Americans also traveled to Madrid to aid Matt in his points quest including Doug Friman, Joe Umphenour, Matt Seymour, and Mark Fretta who were all there to work as a team to get Matt his best finish and put the other countries athletes at a disadvantage. Here the rain and wind came down in biblical proportions and it was Matt who weathered the storm on his own to take a 5^th place finish, thereby moving the U.S. men back into the top 8 countries and ahead of the Russians and Australians going into the World Championships in Vancouver. 

 

In Vancouver, the U.S. men’s team would battle the Swiss, the Canadians, the Russians, and the Australians in a fight to avoid becoming the 9^th ranked country and maintain the hold on the 3 slots. Additionally, it was a great chance to race some of the top contenders for Beijing and see how the American men stacked up.  Again, the weather was not favorable with 51 degree water temperatures and mid-50s air temperatures that took their toll on the athletes. 

 

Here Brian Fleischman and Doug Friman were again tasked with supporting Matt and challenging the other countries along with Tim O’Donnell who was fresh off another National Military Championships win the week prior. The first Olympic qualifier Jarrod Shoemaker was also there to put himself in front of the athletes challenging for precious Olympic points and test his preparations for Beijing. The swim left Matt in the lead pack with Brian and Tim who helped Matt stay in position, safe at the front, and assisted him in chasing down dangerous breakaway attempts from other countries. Onto the run, Matt showed his Olympic spirit and ran to the line with 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Simon Whitfield of Canada, where he would not lose the sprint this time, sending Simon to the carpet at the finish line in defeat.

 

Matt’s 5^th place finish was the best finish by an American male in the Olympic format at World Championships and not only secured the 3^rd slot and his place on the Olympic team, but moved the USA in front of the Canadians and Swiss as well as the Russians and Australians. The U.S. will have three men on the start line due to the teamwork of those athletes assisting Matt, Matt’s performances to help Team USA earn the three spots, and the support of a dedicated staff who traveled the world with him along the way. 

 

The women again showed great teamwork in Vancouver as well. After the swim froze out some of the top contenders, Sara McLarty and Sarah Haskins Kortuem again teamed up to gain distance on the field during the bike. On lap two of eight, Haskins Kortuem broke from the small lead group with a British athlete, while Sara McLarty dropped back to the main chase group and continually slowed the chase pack down by sitting on the front of the group and using her skills to keep the frozen bunch moving slower than her teammate up the road who built over a two minute lead going into the run. A strong run earned Haskins Kortuem a silver medal, a fine reward for Team USA.  The teamwork the American women have shown over the past two years up to and including Vancouver also resulted in the USA earning the number 1 country ranking through the qualifying period!

 

I must also again mention the staff who supported the teams in Vancouver as we dealt with the horrible cold and wet conditions to help the athletes achieve their success: Katie Baker, Sharon Donnelly, Nathan Kortuem, Justin Trolle, Diana Palmer, Dr. Alex Keith, Andy Schmitz, Tim Yount, Jeff Dyrek, Jason Mucher, Dr. Andy Gerken and Dr. Andrew Hunt and myself all stood in the rain and cold and performed countless hours of service to the athletes and the team in Vancouver and during the months leading up to Worlds. The athletes’ personal coaches, family, friends, therapists, doctors, and mechanics also put in great efforts to support their athletes along the way.  Of course, I should also recognize the USOC for their support and the team of sponsors, sports scientists, facility staff, and other assistance that comes from the Olympic Committee. Finally, all of our 100,000 USAT members who make up one huge USA Triathlon / Team USA- we couldn’t do it without you. 

 

When you see three men and three women wearing “USA” on the start line in Beijing this August, please know that they didn’t get there on their own. Team USA succeeds on the strength of our team. Hopefully we’ll bring back a few medals from Beijing to show the fruits of everyone’s labor, but regardless, we’ve already won by coming together as a team.    

 

Thanks for reading, and GO USA!

 

-Scott Schnitzspahn, USAT Sports Performance Director