Taylor Knibb

About Taylor
At 23, Knibb was the youngest woman ever to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team. Knibb was inspired to become a triathlete as a child after she watched her mom, Leslie Knibb, compete in an IRONMAN race and noticed the positive atmosphere. She tried a kids’ race and was hooked on the sport from there, working her way through USA Triathlon’s youth elite and junior elite pipelines. 

Up to this day, her favorite part of competing in triathlons is the camaraderie within the triathlon community, as well as the challenge of always growing and improving within the sport. In high school, she joined her school’s cross-country team and swam for Nation's Capital Swim Club while continuing to compete in triathlons. She was named the Washington D.C. Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year and the D.C. State Athletic Association Runner of the Year in both 2014 and 2015. 

She was the 2015 and 2016 USA Triathlon Junior Elite national champion, the 2015 ITU Junior World Championships silver medalist, the 2016 and 2017 ITU Junior World Champion and the 2018 Under-23 World Champion— one of just three women ever to capture world titles at both the Junior and U23 levels. She also became the youngest woman to earn a spot on the podium at an ITU World Triathlon Series race in 2017, earning silver in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Knibb is a 2020 graduate of Cornell, where she ran NCAA track and cross-country for four years while balancing her elite triathlon career. She also joined the Cornell swim team her senior year. Today, Knibb trains in Boulder, Colorado, with Origin Performance Squad, an elite international training group coached by Ian O’Brien. Knibb considers the ITU Under-23 World Championships to be one of her favorite moments of her career because she accomplished a solid performance across all three disciplines. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, she placed 16th overall in the individual event, but earned the silver medal at the debut Mixed Relay event alongside teammates Katie Zaferes, Morgan Pearson and Kevin McDowell. In 2022, Knibb also became the youngest woman to ever win the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah.

Career Highlights
  • 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion
  • 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Rankings Overall Third
  • 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Rankings Overall Second
  • 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Finals Edmonton gold medalist
  • Five-time World Triathlon Championship Series medalist (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
  • 2020 U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist (Mixed Relay)
  • 2020 Olympic Games, 16th (Individual)
  • 2019 ITU U23-Junior Mixed Relay World Championships bronze medalist
  • 2019 ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series Edmonton bronze medalist
  • 2018 ITU Under-23 World Champion
  • 2018 ITU Triathlon World Cup Lausanne silver medalist
  • Two-time ITU Junior World Champion (2016, 2017)
  • 2017 USA Triathlon U23 National Champion
  • 2017 Sarasota CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup bronze medalist
  • 2016 Montreal ITU Triathlon World Cup bronze medalist
  • 2016 Kitzbühel ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup gold medalist
  • 2015, 2016 USA Triathlon Junior National Champion
  • 2015 ITU Junior World Championships silver medalist
Sport: Triathlon 
Birthdate: February 14, 1998 
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Location: Boulder, CO
College: Cornell University '20, Psychology

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