TORREMOLINOS, Spain – Age Group Team USA athletes won 16 world championships and 50 total medals across four races, Sept. 17-20 in Torremolinos, Spain, at the 2024 World Triathlon Age Group Championships. Over 500 athletes represented Team USA, competing in Sprint Triathlon World Championships, Standard Triathlon World Championships, Standard Aquabike World Championships and the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships.
In addition to racing, athletes could participate in opening and closing ceremonies as well as a Parade of Nations.
Made up of age-group athletes who qualify at USA Triathlon National Championships, Team USA competes in the annual World Triathlon World Championships, which attracts the best age group athletes from over 50 countries across the globe.
Sprint Triathlon World Championships
Team USA won three world titles and 15 medals in the Sprint Triathlon World Championships on Thursday, Oct. 17. Athletes raced a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run.
Matteo Somma (Malverne, N.Y.) clocked the fastest time among all age groups in a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 6 seconds, winning him the M16-19 age group world title.
His Team USA teammate Isaac Lamprecht (New Kent, Va.) placed third in the M16-19 age group and fourth overall among all competitors.
Joanna Coker (Providence, R.I.) took first place in the F30-34 category, as well as clocking the fastest Team USA women’s time, at 1:14:59 and Kathy Calabretta (Ludington, Mich.) took first in the F75-79 age group in a time of 1:47:04. Chloe Dooley (GBR), Hana Blake (IRL) and Sandrine Benz (SUI), took first, second and third overall.
Standard Triathlon World Championships
Team USA won four world titles and 19 medals in the Standard Triathlon World Championships on Saturday, Oct. 19 as athletes raced a 1500m swim, 38.9k bike and 10k run.
Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.) took the F45-49 world title in in a time of 2:14:50 after a show-stopping sub-40-minute 10k, and Robyn Williams (Loveland, Ohio) placed first in the F65-69 age group in a time of 2:32:38.
Sass is an accomplished multisport athlete and was just named the 2023 Female Masters Triathlon Athlete of the Year.
Robert Smartt (Boulder, Colo.) placed first in the M70-74 age group in a time of 2:32:44 and Martin Frezza (Jupiter, Fla.) placed first in the M80-84 age group in 3:31:28.
Standard Aquabike World Championships
Team USA won eight world titles and 14 medals on Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Standard Aquabike World Championships with athletes racing a 1500m swim and 38.9k bike.
Brendan Mueller (Arlington, Mass.) won the M35-39 age group world title in 1:25:35, after recording one of the fastest bike splits, 1:00:51.
Oliver Porter (Asheville, N.C.) won the M25-29 age group world title in a time of 1:30:49 and Rick Kozlowski (San Diego, Calif.) won the M70-74 title in a time of 1:41:43. Kozlowski was named the 2023 Male Great Grand Masters Aquabike Athlete of the Year just last month.
The U.S. women had a huge showing, with five women winning age group world titles. Lauren Jensen-McGinnis (Muskego, Wis.) won the F55-59 age group in a time of 1:39:01 and Melissa Puppa-Lasher (Memphis, Tenn.) won the F35-39 age group in1:41:18.
Denise Brown (Napoleon, Ohio) won the F65-69 age group in a time of 1:52:05, while Jan Talbot (San Diego, Calif.) won the F70-74 category in 2:18:16. Ruth Hamilton (McLean, Va.) capped off the five winners, finishing in 2:35:33, placing first in the F75-79 age group.
Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships
Age Group triathletes finished the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 20, for the Triathlon Mixed Relay, with teams made up of four triathletes (two female, two male) who each completed a 250m swim, 6k bike and 1.5k run.
In the 80+ age group, Ralph Ward (Sun City, Ariz.), Marylynne Caruso (Fort Worth, Texas), Larry Nelson (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and June Black (Austin, Texas) took first place in a time of 3:26:05. In the 15-19 age group, Julian Barre (Jacksonville, Fla.), Siena Barre (Jacksonville, Fla.), Isaac Lamprecht (New Kent, Va.) and Caroline Irvin (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) took third in a time of 1:37:17.
Complete Results for the 2024 World Triathlon Age Group World Championships