Olympic triathlete Taylor Knibb won the women’s time trial at the U.S. road cycling championships Wednesday, securing her spot on the American team and presenting her with a chance to compete in two different sports at the Paris Games.
Knibb ripped over the flat, out-and-back course around Charleston, West Virginia, in 45 minutes, 54 seconds, beating pre-race favorite Kristen Faulkner by 11 seconds. Three-time Olympian Amber Neben was 49 seconds back in third place.
Knibb will contest the time trial and road race in Paris along with Chloe Dygert, who will be heavily favored to win the gold medal in the race against the clock. Dygert did not compete at nationals Wednesday because she had already qualified for the Paris Olympics after winning the time trial at last year’s world championships.
Knibb also had previously qualified for Paris, albeit in triathlon, where the 26-year-old from Washington, D.C., finished fifth at a test event held over the Olympic course at the historic Pont Alexandre III bridge last August.
Three years ago, Knibb became the youngest woman ever on the U.S. triathlon team for the Summer Games. She finished 16th in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics but helped the Americans win the silver medal in the mixed team relay.
The two-time IRONMAN 70.3 world champion covered the first half of the 20.9-mile course Wednesday in 20:59, putting Knibb in a dead heat with Faulkner, who already has won Omloop van het Hageland and a stage at La Vuelta Feminina this year.
Knibb pulled away over the second half of the ride to secure her spot on the U.S. road cycling team for Paris.
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