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Triathletes Prepare for Competition
By U.S. Olympic Committee // Nicole Saunches // July 15, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Six athletes from USA Triathlon will compete Sunday at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The XV Pan American Games mark the fourth time triathlon has been contended at the games and the U.S. has won seven medals (2- gold, 3- silver, 2- bronze) and notched 17 Top-Ten finishes in those competitions. Competing for the United States will be Sarah Haskins Korteum (St. Louis, Mo.); Sara McLarty (DeLand, Fla.); Julie Swail (Irvine, Calif.); Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, Fla.); Andy Potts (Princeton, N.J.) and Jarrod Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.).
Swail was a member of the 2003 Pan Am Games team where she finished eighth in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She has notched five Top-Five finishes at Major Multisport events, including first-places finishes at the New York City Triathlon and Boston Triathlon. She was also a member of the U.S. women’s Olympic water polo team that won silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Potts, a 2004 Olympian, was named the 2006 USAT Triathlete of the Year and is a two-time World Cup Champion. He has been a USA National Team Member since 2004. Potts was also a member of the USA Swimming National Team from 1995-97 and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in swimming in 1996.
Shoemaker was the ITU Under 23 World Champion in 2004 and 2005 as well as the ITU New York City Continental Cup winner in ’05. His sister, Jenna, is a professional triathlete and he is married to Alicia Kaye, a professional triathlete for Canada.
Fleischmann, a USAT National Resident Team Member since 2002, has competed at the World Championships every year accept 2005 and in 2006 became an ITU Team World Champion along side American teammates Andy Potts and Matt Reed.
McLarty was the 2006 U23 National Champion, took second place at the 2006 USA Triathlon Elite National Championships and was named the 2006 U23 Athlete of the Year. In 2005, she was named Rookie of the Year by USA Triathlon. McLarty was the Collegiate National Triathlon Champion in 2000 and was USAT Junior Athlete of the Year in 2000 & 2001. She also competed on two USA Swimming World Championship teams in 2004 & 05 garnering a silver medal in the 400m freestyle in 2004.
Haskins, who finished the 2006 season as the second-ranked American and 16th in the world, was the 2004 U23 National Champion and the 2006 Elite National Champion. Haskins placed 21st at the 2006 Triathlon World Championships and has recorded seven World Cup top ten finishes.
Below is a history of the U.S. Top-Ten Finishes in the Pan American Games:
2003: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Women
Sheila Taormina, 2nd, 2:00:12
Becky Gibbs Lavelle, 3rd, 2:00:36
Julie Swail, 8th, 2:04:09
Men
Hunter Kemper, 1st, 1:52:00
Doug Friman, 4th, 1:53:11
1999: Winnipeg, Canada
Women
Jennifer Gutierrez, 4th, 2:01:24
Jill Newman, 5th, 2:01:24
Karen Smyers, 7th, 2:02:45
Men
Hunter Kemper, 2nd, 1:48:49
Tim DeBoom, 5th, 1:49:50
Tony De Boom, 10th, 1:50:31
1995: Mar Del Plata, Argentina
Women
Karen Smyers, 1st, 2:04:52
Gail Laurence, 4th, 2:08:51
Kelley Kwiatrowski, 10th, 2:12:53
Men
Andrew Carlson, 5th, 1:53:33
Team
Karen Smyers/Gail Laurence, 2nd, 4:15:31
Andrew Carlson/Nathaniel Llerandi, 3rd, 3:51:38
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