US Olympic medal hopeful Kirsten Kasper hails ‘iconic’ Hong Kong for driving Paris dream
- Triathlete Kirsten Kasper says compatriots and Olympic medallists Gwen Jorgensen and Katie Zaferes changed her view over longevity in sport
American triathlon star Kirsten Kasper said a sparkling World Cup performance in “iconic” Hong Kong this year was the catalyst for achieving her lifelong Olympic dream.
It required a Herculean effort for Kasper to reach the 2024 Games as she overcame serious adductor and hip injuries, and suffered selection near misses for the 2016 and 2020 Games.
The fight for United States qualifying spots amounted to a mini-Olympics in itself, with Kasper eventually getting the nod over the Rio 2016 gold medallist, Gwen Jorgensen, and Katie Zaferes, who claimed individual bronze in Tokyo.
Last year, Kasper competed with two herniated discs in her lower back. The World Cup in Hong Kong in March, where the 32-year-old finished third, was her first race in six months.
“It was huge for me, even bigger than I realised at the time,” Kasper told the Post. “I’d done a lot of gym work during the winter, and had three months off the bike, which was scary. Hong Kong was my first [event] after rehab and gave me the confidence I could race pain free and at the top level.
“After that race, I was a different athlete, I trusted my body. Hong Kong was a great experience, I was so focused during the race, but when I looked up during the swim [in Victoria Harbour] and saw the skyline, I thought, ‘this is iconic … so cool’. It is among my top race destinations.”
