Katie Zaferes and Gwen Jorgensen have reacted on social media to the pain of missing out on selection for the USA triathlon team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
2021 bronze medalist Zaferes and 2016 gold medal winner Jorgensen both suffered agony when USA Triathlon announced its discretionary picks on Wednesday.
Instead, it is Taylor Spivey and Kirsten Kasper – fourth and fifth respectively in that key race at WTCS Yokohama last month – who will be on the plane to Paris instead. They join Taylor Knibb, who had qualified automatically at the 2023 Paris Test Event.
Despite the disappointment, Zaferes and Jorgensen both displayed great class as ever as they responded to the news on Wednesday evening.
Zaferes pride
Katie, writing in a heartfelt post to her 43,000 followers on Instagram, said she had to face the hard truth that she had not done enough to qualify for the biggest race of them all this time round.
She also spoke of her pride in the team which will represent the United States, adding: “It’s a robust team that will do us well. I’ve been selected as an alternate and will be supporting the team from the sidelines.”
Zaferes, who returned to bid for a Paris spot after the birth of her first child and came so close to achieving that goal, explained: “Everyone wants a fairytale ending, and mine just took a pivot. While I might not have achieved the ultimate goal in this season of competing in Paris at my third Olympics. My goodness am I proud of what I did accomplish in the attempt.”
Gwen will be cheering for Team USA
Jorgensen meanwhile returned from several years away from the sport to bid for a Paris spot, and did so valiantly as she travelled the globe in 2023 in a bid to secure the World Cup results to ensure crucial WTCS starts.
She confirmed on her Instagram Stories that she, like Zaferes, has been named as an alternate for Paris, but added: “the reality is I hope they don’t have to use either of us. Team USA will give their best and I am excited to cheer.”
Triathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
