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Paul McNamara

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.”
Kasper said the one-month period after she finished fifth in the World Triathlon Championship Series race in Yokohama in May, when a podium finish would have guaranteed Olympic qualification, was “emotional and stressful”.
When she eventually learned she had earned the USA selectors’ discretionary pick, she “stepped back for one week to absorb the emotions and celebrate”.
Kasper, who views herself as a “medal contender” in France, was a promising runner at Georgetown University, where she was identified as a potential Olympic triathlete by USA Triathlon’s Collegiate Recruitment Programme (CRT).
Sport is in the family genes, with Kasper’s uncle, Steve Kasper, a former player and manager for NHL team Boston Bruins.
“I wasn’t ready to enter the real world after Georgetown, the Olympics was always my dream, so I bought in,” Kasper said. “I thought, ‘[CRT] clearly see something I’m not aware of’.”

Two years after beginning triathlon in 2014, Kasper was chosen as the US’s alternative for Rio. She was the odd one out again in Tokyo, after being derailed by a serious hip injury sustained when crashing in an Olympics test event.
“I had finished fourth [overall] in the world series in 2017 and 2018, so felt on course to qualify,” Kasper said. “I was really bummed when I got the alternative spot … but it motivated me for this cycle. Every time I raced, it was an opportunity to show I was over my injuries, as good as I used to be, and worthy of a spot in Paris.”
Kasper is a “different athlete” from the one who started triathlon. In Autumn 2021, when she was trying to return to her pre-injury form, she began working with Nate Wilson, the coach of reigning Olympic champion Flora Duffy.
“He has the tools to get creative,” Kasper said. “My volume [of training] is much lower, I used to do 25-to-28 hours per week, now it is 20. I reduced my running … and did much more in the gym, to create resilience and power.”
Kasper’s husband, the Canadian Matthew Sharpe, competed in the men’s triathlon in Tokyo three years ago and subsequently focused on Ironman 70.3.
“When he achieved his Olympic dream, he made a commitment to get me to Paris,” Kasper said. “He sacrificed some of his training to help me, and is a key training partner.”
Kasper, who has mooted the idea of competing over the longer distance, wants to prolong her triathlon career, and with Jorgensen and Zaferes both returning to elite racing after giving birth, she has had a rethink.
“I always thought that to have a family, I would need to end my professional triathlon career,” she said.
“It is great to have mums in the sport showing it is possible. [Jorgensen and Zaferes] coming back made Olympic qualifying even more challenging. We all had to raise our games.”


Olympians win again by bringing pride and unity to excited Hong Kong

Mainland Chinese Olympic stars urge Hongkongers to pursue dreams after sports showcase

Chinese table tennis stars win hearts in Hong Kong with coaching, showcase of skills

Happiness, appreciation as China’s Olympic champions end Hong Kong visit – as it happened

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

US Olympic medal hopeful Kirsten Kasper hails ‘iconic’ Hong Kong for driving Paris dream

Kirsten Kasper riding in the Hong Kong leg of the World Triathlon Cup. Photo: Elson Li

Kasper’s third-place performance helped her ‘trust my body’ following injury issues in 2023. Photo: Elson Li

Katie Zaferes’ return to action after giving birth helped Kasper re-evaluate her long-term goals. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

World Triathlon Cup: Zaferes eyes Olympic farewell after Hong Kong redemption, Rainsley, Gonzalez claim first wins

Sian Rainsley (centre) won the Hong Kong Triathlon World Cup, with US pair Katie Zaferes and Kirsten Kasper second and third. Photo: Elson Li

British athlete Rainsley won her first World Cup to consign an injury-ruined 2023 to history. Photo: Elson Li

Alberto Gonzalez Garcia won the men’s race, with Antonio Serrat Seoane second, and Kenji Nener third. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong triathlon coach eyes cultural shift ahead of Paris Olympics, says LA success the goal

The Los Angeles Olympics are a long-term target for Jason Ng, with a Paris medal out of the question. Photo: Handout.

Ng came out on top from a protracted qualifying battle with Kazakh Ayan Beisenbayev. Photo: Handout

Robin Elg is among the Hong Kong triathletes forming a ‘high-performance environment’. Photo: Elson Li.

Paris Olympics: Usain Bolt got 10 hours, but sleep can be the stuff of sporting nightmares

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt crosses the 100 metres finish line well clear of his rivals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Photo: AFP

Australian former swimmer Grant Hackett has revealed that he overused sleeping pills. Photo: EPA

Roger Federer (left), who won an Olympic silver medal in 2012, would sleep for up to 12 hours. Photo: AP

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has said he tapes his mouth shut at night. Photo: Action Images via Reuters

Paris Olympics: sprinter Felix Diu aims for Hong Kong record after unexpected spot

National champion Felix Diu (centre) will take part in his first Olympics this month after qualifying via a universality spot from World Athletics. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Diu learned of his spot just a day before the Hong Kong team’s flag presentation ceremony. Photo: Mike Chan

Diu hopes to compete against Noah Lyles (centre) who won the 100m at the US Olympic trials in June. Photo: AP

Sport

Outdoor

Paris Olympics 2024

Athletics

Triathlete Kirsten Kasper says compatriots and Olympic medallists Gwen Jorgensen and Katie Zaferes changed her view over longevity in sport


Triathlete Kirsten Kasper says compatriots and Olympic medallists Gwen Jorgensen and Katie Zaferes changed her view over longevity in sport.


Triathlon