Taylor Knibb Scores Silver At Bermuda World Triathlon Championship Series Stop
by Bob Reinert
Taylor Knibb competes in the women's pro bike leg of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship on Oct. 28, 2022 in St George, Utah.
A week after becoming the youngest woman to win the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, U.S. OlympianTaylor Knibb earned a silver medal Sunday in a World Triathlon Championship Series race in Bermuda.
The 24-year-old from Washington, D.C. placed second behind 2020 Olympic champion Flora Duffy of Bermuda, who was cheered along her home course by an enthusiastic crowd. Duffy finished just behindKnibb during last week’s IRONMAN in fifth place.
Knibb is a rising star in the sport. Last year, at age 23, she was the youngest triathlete ever to be named to the U.S. Olympic Team and won a silver medal in the mixed relay. She stands fifth in the world rankings.
Duffy put on a dominant performance on her home soil, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 1 minute, 26 seconds. Knibb was second in 2:03:04, followed by Beth Potter of Great Britain at 2:03:17.
Fellow American Taylor Spivey, who has three fourth-place finishes this year, finished fifth in 2:04:05.
The runner-up finish was the second podium in the World Triathlon Championship Series this year for Knibb. She captured a bronze medal at Cagliari, Italy, in October.
Well known for her cycling prowess, Knibb made her decisive move on the bike leg. She had emerged from the 1,500-meter swim 31 seconds behind Duffy, who was the first competitor out of the water with a time of 20:15. Knibb then hammered out a time of 1:05:32 in the 40-kilometer bike segment – the second-fastest in the field behind Duffy – to pull into third place. She passed Maya Kingma of the Netherlands on the run, finishing that leg in 35:28.
Matt McElroy of Huntington Beach, California, was the top American in the men’s race, placing 16th.
The World Triathlon Championship Finals will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 22-26.
Bob Reinert #
Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.