U.S. Olympic Committee confirms U.S. Triathlon team for London 2012

by USA Triathlon on 11 Jul, 2012 01:12 • Español
U.S. Olympic Committee confirms U.S. Triathlon team for London 2012

With less than three weeks until the Olympic Games kick off in London, the 2012 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team has officially been announced by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

While the qualified athletes were known after the World Triathlon San Diego race, the team was officially confirmed by the USOC on Tuesday. Representing the U.S. in the women’s triathlon on August 4 in Hyde Park will be two-time Olympic qualifier Laura Bennett (Boulder, Colo.) and first-timers Sarah Groff (Hanover, N.H.) and Gwen Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Four-time Olympian Hunter Kemper (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Manuel Huerta (Miami, Fla.) will compete in the August 7 men’s triathlon. In all, the USOC announced a 530-member roster for the 2012 Olympic Games.

“It is an incredible honour to represent the USA in the Olympics. To be able to wear USA across my chest is something I will never forget,” Jorgensen said. “I’m excited to be a part of something that brings not only the USA together, but the entire world together.” 

2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Triathlon Team:
Laura Bennett (37, Boulder, Colo.) 
After placing fourth at the Beijing Games, Bennett has been the most consistent U.S. performer on the ITU World Triathlon Series circuit over the past three with nine top-eight finishes from 2010-12. She finished 2011 ranked eighth in the ITU World Triathlon Series rankings and captured her third USA Triathlon Elite National Championship title. Bennett qualified for her second Olympic Team with a third-place finish at the 2012 ITU World Triathlon San Diego on May 11.

Sarah Groff (30, Hanover, N.H.) 
Groff placed seventh at the 2011 London ITU World Triathlon Series event to clinch a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team. She went on to finish third in the ITU WTS rankings for the first-ever overall series podium finish by an American. Groff led the U.S. with five top-10 finishes on the WTS circuit in 2011 and was seventh last month at the ITU World Triathlon Kitzbühel for her first top-10 showing in 2012.

Gwen Jorgensen (26, Milwaukee, Wis.) 
Jorgensen burst onto the triathlon scene in 2011 with a runner-up finish at the London ITU World Triathlon Series event to earn a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. Her second-place finish on the Olympic course in London is the best-ever showing for a U.S. woman in a WTS event. Jorgensen finished 2011 ranked 11th in the ITU World Triathlon Series rankings and picked up where she left off in 2012 with a fourth-place finish at the ITU World Triathlon Sydney. Jorgensen owns top-eight finishes in 21 of 26 career ITU events and has finished on the podium on nine occasions.

2012 U.S. Olympic Men’s Triathlon Team:
Manuel Huerta (28, Miami, Fla.) 
Huerta was named USA Triathlon’s Elite Athlete of the Year for 2011 and capped his season with a silver medal at the Pan American Games. He finished the year as the No. 3 American in the ITU World Triathlon Series rankings and was the top U.S. men’s performer at the London and Kitzbühel WTS stops. The Cuban-born Huerta earned his Olympic berth with an emotional ninth-place finish at the May 12 ITU World Triathlon San Diego. Since qualifying for London, Huerta has recorded top-five ITU finishes in Dallas and Edmonton.

Hunter Kemper (36, Colorado Springs, Colo.) 
One of just three athletes to qualify for all four Olympic triathlons, Kemper is the top U.S. men’s finisher in all three previous Olympic triathlons with a top showing of seventh in Beijing. Hampered by injury for much of the past three seasons and racing for the first time in seven months, Kemper delivered a fifth-place finish at the 2012 ITU World Triathlon San Diego on May 12 to claim his fourth Olympic berth. He owns U.S. men’s records with seven career USA Triathlon Elite National Championship titles and four career ITU World Cup victories.   

Additionally, USA Triathlon announced its team staff for the 2012 Olympic Games. USA Triathlon High Performance General Manager Andy Schmitz (Philadelphia, Pa.) will serve as the women’s coach and team leader for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, while USA Triathlon Performance Leader Jonathan Hall (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has been named the men’s coach and team manager for the Games. Rounding out the team staff is chiropractor Dr. Alex Keith (West Palm Beach, Fla.), massage therapist Kim Kirkland (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and bicycle mechanic Joe Santos (Davis, Calif.).

For more information, please click here


Article gallery
Related Event: London 2012 Olympic Games
04 - 07 Aug, 2012 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Women
1. Nicola Spirig SUI 01:59:48
2. Lisa Norden SWE 01:59:48
3. Erin Densham AUS 01:59:50
4. Sarah True USA 02:00:00
5. Helen Jenkins GBR 02:00:19
Results: Elite Men
1. Alistair Brownlee GBR 01:46:25
2. Javier Gomez Noya ESP 01:46:36
3. Jonathan Brownlee GBR 01:46:56
4. David Hauss FRA 01:47:14
5. Laurent Vidal FRA 01:47:21
Related articles
  • Italy names team for London 2012 Olympic Games
    The Italian Olympic Committee has confirmed the Italian team for the triathlon competitions at London 2012, naming Alessandro Fabian, Davide Uccellari and Annamaria Mazzetti to make their Olympic debuts
    11:02 - 06 Jul, 2012
  • Germany names team for London 2012 Olympic Games
    The German Olympic triathlon team has officially been announced, highlighted by reigning Olympic men's champion Jan Frodeno and four-time Olympian Anja Dittmer.
    10:11 - 05 Jul, 2012
  • Spain reveals London 2012 Olympic team
    Spain was one of a handful of nations to qualify the maximum six triathletes for the London 2012. Double world champion Javier Gomez headlines the team that also includes European Championships runner-up Ainhoa Murua
    05:44 - 21 Jun, 2012
  • Russia announces Olympic Team for London 2012
    Russia has confirmed a formidable men's team for London 2012, highlighted by Alexander Bryukhankov and Dmitry Polyanskiy. The women's team will include an Olympic rookie and a returning Olympian
    07:15 - 19 Jun, 2012
  • Switzerland reveals London 2012 Olympic team
    Swiss Triathlon has announced the four triathletes that will represent Switzerland at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The team includes the reigning European Champion as well as a past Olympic medallist
    10:14 - 15 Jun, 2012
  • France selects team for London 2012 Olympics
    France confirmed the six triathletes that will represent them the London 2012 Olympic Games. The talented group includes three returning Olympians and three rising stars set to make their Olympic debuts
    09:07 - 14 Jun, 2012
  • Canada announces Olympic team for London 2012
    Double Olympic medallist Simon Whitfield will head to his 4th Olympic Games as Triathlon Canada unveiled the five athletes who will represent Canada in London. Paula Findlay and Kyle Jones will make their Olympic debuts
    09:52 - 12 Jun, 2012
  • Australian women's team finalised for London 2012
    Triathlon Australia has named the three female triathletes that will join Brad Kahlefeldt, Courtney Atkinson and Brendan Sexton to make up the Australian Olympic team for London 2012.
    09:16 - 12 Jun, 2012
  • British Olympic team announced for London 2012
    The British Olympic Association officially announced the six athletes that will represent the home team in the triathlon competitions at the London 2012 Olympic Games
    11:12 - 09 Jun, 2012
  • Record number of countries earn spots at London 2012 Olympic Games
    ITU's 2-year Olympic qualification period ended last week with a record 39 National Olympic Committees qualifying spots at the triathlon competition for London 2012, the highest number ever for triathlon at an Olympic Games
    09:39 - 05 Jun, 2012
  • Japan announces Olympic team for London 2012
    The Japan Triathlon Union (JTU) has announced that Juri Ide, Ai Ueda, Mariko Adachi, Yuichi Hosoda and Hirokatsu Tayama have been selected to represent Japan at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
    06:12 - 05 Jun, 2012
  • Australian men's team named for London 2012 Olympic Games
    The Australian Olympic Committee has announced Courtney Atkinson and Brendan Sexton will join Brad Kahlefeldt on the Australian men's team for the triathlon event at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
    08:58 - 04 Jun, 2012
  • Olympic Qualification 101 – How athletes and countries get to London 2012
    The road to London 2012 is not only long and grueling, it’s also complex. How many athletes can each country send? And how do athletes earn one of the coveted spots on the Olympic start line? We try to explain
    06:44 - 12 Mar, 2012
Tracker Pixel for Entry