Reppin' in Paris: Cal Poly Alum Taylor Spivey Preps for First Olympics
7/25/2024 3:33:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Taylor Spivey will not only be donning the red, white and blue, but will also be representing all of Mustang nation when she competes for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Spivey, a 2014 Cal Poly grad, opens her Olympic journey on Tuesday, July 30, at 11 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (8 a.m. local time in Paris on July 31) to take part in the women’s triathlon. Depending upon her performance in that event, the 33-year-old could also be selected to compete on Team USA’s triathlon mixed-team relay at the same time on Sunday, Aug. 4. The Olympic triathlon consists of a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run. Spivey is Cal Poly’s lone representative in this year’s Olympics.
I was so incredibly happy, it’s truly a dream come true.Taylor Spivey, Cal Poly swimmer 2009-14
Spivey, ranked fourth in the women’s World Triathlon rankings entering the Olympics, was a member of the Cal Poly swimming team from 2009-14 and she admits that her time as a Mustang certainly helped shape her into the Olympian she is today.
“Being a Cal Poly Mustang distance swimmer while studying architecture was no easy feat,” she said, “but I will forever cherish those moments and all the people who I got to share the highs and lows with. For without them, I wouldn’t have been able to continue to push myself and pursue my goals and become an Olympian.”
Spivey missed out on automatic qualifying for the Paris Olympics by one spot at the 2024 World Triathlon Championships Series in Yokohama in May, placing fourth overall. However, about a month later all that disappointment was wiped away when the Redondo Beach, Calif. native learned that she had been selected by USA Triathlon to compete in her first Olympic Games based on her performance over the last two years. Spivey, widely regarded as the most consistent triathlete in the World Triathlon Championship Series, said she felt validated when she was selected to represent the U.S. in Paris after she was left off the Tokyo Olympics team in 2021 despite being ranked No. 1 in the world rankings and third in the Olympic rankings.
“It was a big relief,” Spivey said about being named to the 2024 Olympic team. “After the controversy and disappointment of being left off the Tokyo team, it made this moment even sweeter. I’ve worked very hard for years and … I’ve been in the top four of the world rankings since 2019, so I felt like I earned this Olympic ticket. I was so incredibly happy, it’s truly a dream come true.”
Despite both of her parents being former triathletes, Spivey had never even considered doing a triathlon until she redshirted during her 2012-13 season at Cal Poly and studied abroad in Florence, Italy. While she was there, she picked up running and biking to stay in shape and eventually decided to do a triathlon. Without intending to, Spivey performed extremely well and caught the eye of her soon-to-be first coach Greg Mueller, who introduced her to the Olympic version of the triathlon. And the rest is history.
“Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said. “I was always a hard-working swimmer, especially as a distance swimmer, but never reached the top level of the sport. It was pretty special to be able to showcase my grit and skills in another sport that I felt suited my strengths.”
Spivey returned home after that year abroad and won the women’s overall draft-legal national title while representing Cal Poly at the 2014 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships. Spivey started competing professionally soon after that and has been at it ever since.
Spivey currently lives in Girona, Spain, and bounces between training camps in Portugal and France most of the year with her international training group and current coach Paulo Sousa. Spivey said being a year-round triathlete requires a lot of sacrifice and nonstop dedication.
“I always thought swimming was a time-consuming sport until I became a triathlete because we train for three sports most days of the week,” she said. “It’s incredibly time consuming … and it’s a full-time commitment, there are no days off."
Spivey won a silver medal at the 2020 Mixed Relay World Championships while competing on the U.S. team and secured a bronze in the same event in 2022. Spivey, a two-time ocean lifeguard national champion (2011-12), has stood on top of the podium at a number of World Triathlon podiums during her career and will certainly be eying a medal when she competes in Paris.
Growing up, Spivey looked up and admired a number of Olympians, but competing in the Olympic Games always felt so distant and out of reach. But she kept her head down and persevered, and not she’s earned the right to represent her country on the world’s largest stage.
“I worked really hard in all the sports I did growing up, but I was never a talent,” she said. “I was petite, feisty and gritty … but when I discovered triathlons, I felt like it was the sport that suited me best, and while I wish I discovered it earlier in life, I thought maybe if I worked really hard at it for a number of years I could be good enough to make it to the Olympics one day.”
Spivey achieved her Olympic dreams and she said anything is possible if you refuse to give up.
“I think the most important thing for any aspiring Olympian is to remember to keep the main thing, the main thing,” she said. “Stay focused on your goals and remember that nothing worthwhile comes easy … I promise it will all pay off and be worth it, just stay focused and work towards your goals little-by-little every day.”
You can watch Spivey compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Follow Cal Poly swimming and diving on Instagram (@cpswimdive) and Twitter/X (@CPSwimDive) for updates on her Olympic journey.
Being a Cal Poly Mustang distance swimmer while studying architecture was no easy feat,” she said, “but I will forever cherish those moments and all the people who I got to share the highs and lows with. For without them, I wouldn’t have been able to continue to push myself and pursue my goals and become an Olympian.Taylor Spivey, 2024 Team USA Olympian
