Katie Zaferes Wins Olympic Medal Simply Months After Her Father Handed Away

But for one Maryland native, it gave her invaluable time with a beloved one who will now information her to the gold in spirit. She has an older sister, Kristin, and a youthful sister, Karly, in accordance with her biography on the Syracuse University sports website. She ran observe at York College, according to the school’s website.

Katie Thurston was born and raised in Lynnwood, Washington, where she grew up surrounded by her modest and loving household. Therefore, all we know is that after Katie tragically lost her father in 2012, she only has her hard-working mom and a sister to maintain her instant family going. Katie would edge out Klamer once again the next year as she secured back-to-back Super League titles, finishing two factors away from the Dutch athlete.

Her sister, Karly, was a swimmer, and swam at Bloomsburg University. Of the eight World Triathlon Series races in 2019, Zaferes completed in first place in 5 of them, taking the wins in Abu Dhabi, Bermuda, Yokohama, Montreal and the Grand Final in Lausanne. In 2015, Zaferes’ had a break-out 12 months, taking silver in 5 World Triathlon Series races (Abu Dhabi, Aukland, Cape Town, London, Stockholm) plus bronze in Gold Coast.

She predictably fell away somewhat on the bike and run, however completed a really respectable second – just over four minutes behind the Brit. When race day arrived Katie found herself in at the deep end towards formidable opposition in the shape of British superstar Lucy Charles-Barclay and PTO 2020 Championship winner Paula Findlay. In late July the emotion was there for all to see as Katie won not one but two medals in the greatest show on earth – claiming bronze in the particular person occasion behind Flora Duffy and Georgia Taylor-Brown, then silver within the Mixed Relay with Team USA. As for her father, whereas on ‘The Bachelor,’ Katie spoke to fellow contestant Sarah Trott over how she lost him as soon as he succumbed to his brutal battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 2012. “I perceive that more than I would like to,” Katie told her when she spoke about self-eliminating herself as a outcome of she yearned for her household. I would by no means want that for you.” Then, she softly but strongly told all the others to “stay classy on this course of as a outcome of we don’t know” every other’s tales or what another person goes through.

Katie Zaferes (née Hursey) is an American skilled triathlete from Hampstead, Maryland. She earned a silver and bronze medal for the United States within district investigates longtime sexual misconduct teachers the 2020 Tokyo Olympic triathlon held in 2021. She can also be the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Series girls’s champion.

Such was her grit and determination, Zaferes was competing again just 17 days later. She wasn’t simply participating both – she returned to assert victory at the World Triathlon Series Grand Final in Lausanne and sealed her first World Triathlon Series title. Further titles piled up as she progressed as a triathlete through the years which adopted, together with her medals in Tokyo and general victory in the ITU World Triathlon Series in 2019 the crowning moments so far. “My dad has been such a big part of my life, part of my career. He was the primary particular person I did a triathlon with on Father’s Day in 2012,” Zaferes said. “That time to me turned actually, really special, as a outcome of my dad handed away in April, and it was not something we were thinking of happening after we had been doing our 2020 season,” she mentioned. She considered her father, a fun-loving, nature-lover, during training runs when she would encounter a particularly beautiful view.

However, her focus was on playing sport for fun and being with her friends as she focussed on soccer and Lacrosse. After a grueling 6.2 miles, 33-year-old Flora Duffy of Bermuda was the first to cross and hoist up the banner, making historical past together with her country’s first-ever Olympic Gold Medal. Following her just over a minute later was the silver medal winner, Georgia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain. Zaferes stayed consistently on the entrance of the pack, claiming an early third place spot popping out of the water and heading into the bike phase. At the 1 hour, 23-minute mark—when the leaders transitioned off the bikes and into their trainers — Zaferes got into first place with athletes from Bermuda, Germany and Great Britain right on her heels. All 55 athletes pushed by way of the unique circumstances for a .ninety three mile swim, a 24.8-mile biking phase and the final sprint of the 6.2-mile run.

Kimble’s obtained an entire lot of him to love and that’s not even bearing in mind his character that we can’t wait to get to know! What had gone before made that week in Japan even more special for the 32-year-old, as she told us in the course of the countdown to race day in Samorin. The inaugural Collins Cup was the most recent milestone in a tumultuous yr for Katie Zaferes, and he or she took time out to reflect on a interval in her life which has brought both tragedy and triumph. Katie is married to Tommy Zaferes, who was an Olympic trials swimmer before changing into an expert triathlete. But with several extra titles beneath her belt and further expertise competing at the pinnacle of triathlon, Zaferes headed into the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with a renewed sense of optimism in the summertime of 2021.

“He would have been crying. He would have been so proud and pleased,” Zaferes said following the ladies’s triathlon. Zaferes did not automatically qualify for the Olympics because of a biking event crash, however was picked for the ultimate team spot by a variety committee. Zaferes year-over-year leads to the World Triathlon Series include finishing 42nd in her debut yr of 2013, 16th in 2014, 5th in 2015, 4th in 2016, third in 2017, 2nd in 2018 and taking the overall title in 2019. Outside World Triathlon competitors, Zaferes competes in Super League Triathlon. She gained both the 2018 and 2019 Super League Triathlon Championship Series, and finished third, behind Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jess Learmonth of the United Kingdom, in 2021.