[high performance]


PURPOSE STATEMENT The purpose of the High Performance unit is the systematic development of elite athletes and coaches in the quest for medals at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and ITU World Championships.


YEAR IN REVIEW Competitive Results While the podium eluded U.S. athletes during the second installment of the ITU World Championship Series, USA Triathlon’s top elites demonstrated consistent performance with fi ve athletes (three women and two men) fi nishing in the top 20 in the fi nal series rankings. Additionally, USA Triathlon athletes captured four of the six podium positions at the 2010 Pan American Championships, including a victory by Matt Chrabot.


The U.S. claimed a pair of podium fi nishes at 2010 ITU World Championship events with Rebecca Dussault on top of the podium at the ITU Winter World Championships and Timothy O’Donnell claiming silver, and his second consecutive podium, at the ITU Long Distance World Championships.


The future of the program looks bright with dominant performances by collegiate athletes and juniors on the international stage. Led by a silver medal by Gwen Jorgensen in the individual competition, the U.S. women earned the team silver at the FISU World University Games. At the inaugural Youth Olympic games, the U.S. secured three medals (the maximum available) with Kevin McDowell’s silver and Kelly Whitley’s bronze. The duo also combined with two PATCO teammates to take silver in the mixed team relay competition. The pair also led the way at the Junior World Championships with McDowell taking bronze, Whitley earning fourth and teammates Lukas Verzbicas (fourth) and Tanelle Berard (seventh) posting the best-ever cumulative performance by U.S. juniors at the event.


Talent Identifi cation/Collegiate Recruitment The Collegiate Recruitment Program accepted eight bona fi de collegiate athletes into the program in 2010, bringing the two-year total to 14. Ten of these 14 athletes had earned their elite card by the end of 2010. In July, USA Triathlon hosted a camp for 13 collegiate recruits and their coaches at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Having the collegiate swimmers learn from the collegiate runners, and vice versa, was one of the many benefi ts of those two weeks. The camp culminated with an Elite Development Race (EDR), one of two draft-legal sprint races held in 2010. The success of the EDRs allowed the High Performance staff to see these athletes early in their triathlon careers in a draft-legal race.


6 USA TRIATHLON


2010 ANNUAL REPORT


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