Name: Morgan Pearson
Sport: Triathlon
Height: 5’11”
Birthdate: Sept. 22, 1993
Hometown: New Vernon, N.J.
Current Residence: Boulder, Colo.
High School: Delbarton School (Morristown, N.J.)
College: University of Colorado at Boulder
Olympic Experience
- One-time Olympian (2020)
- Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, silver (Mixed Relay), 42nd (Individual)
Career Highlights
2020 U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist, Mixed Relay
2020 Olympic Games, 42nd (Individual)
3-time World Triathlon Championship Series medalist (2 silver, 1 bronze)
2019 Huatulco ITU Triathlon World Cup silver medalist
2019 ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series Edmonton bronze medalist
2018 Montreal CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup gold medalist
2018 Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Mixed Relay American Championships gold medalist
2018 Wuustwezel ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup silver medalist
2018 Salinas ITU Triathlon World Cup, 5th
2018 Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Triathlon World Cup, 4th
2018 Chengdu ITU Triathlon World Cup, 6th
2018 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama, 14th
2017 USA Triathlon Sprint Age Group National Champion
Personal
Pearson, 27, is originally from Spring Lake, New Jersey, where he grew up as a competitive swimmer, ocean lifeguard and promising high school runner. He went on to run cross-country and track & field at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was a seven-time All-American. He got his start in elite triathlon through USA Triathlon’s Collegiate Recruitment Program, which identifies top NCAA swimmers and runners who have the potential to excel as triathletes. After winning the overall title at the USA Triathlon Age Group Sprint National Championships in 2017, he debuted as an elite triathlete in 2018. He is experiencing a breakout 2021 season, winning bronze in Yokohama on May 15 and silver in Leeds, England, on June 6, to become the first U.S. male ever to earn multiple World Triathlon Championship Series medals. His older brother, Andrew, passed away in March of 2021, and after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team in Yokohama, Pearson said, "He gave me the boost I needed today, and I was just thinking about him. Hopefully when I’m at the Olympics, he’ll be there with me.” Pearson then went on to podium at the Tokyo Olympics when he was a member of Team USA who claimed the silver medal at the debut Mixed Relay event.
Triathlon Career
2022: Missed a large part of the season due to injury and recovery, but returned on November 13 to compete at the debut World Triathlon Cup in Vina Del Mar in Chile and placed 50th • Competed in Abu Dhabi, UAE at the World Triathlon Championship Series Finals and placed second overall in the men's individual event, earning the top result for the U.S. Men's National team in 2022.
2021: Qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team with a bronze-medal performance at the World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama on May 15 • Became the first U.S. man in history to win multiple World Triathlon Championship Series medals, earning silver in Leeds on June 6 • Made his Olympic Games debut in Tokyo on July 26, placing 42nd in the men's individual event • Earned an silver medal in the debut of Triathlon Mixed Relay at the Olympic Games on July 31, teaming up with Katie Zaferes, Kevin McDowell and Taylor Knibb. Pearson and McDowell are the first U.S. men in history to medal in a triathlon event at the Olympic Games • Ended his 2021 year by competing in the World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi and placed 24th on November 5, with points counting towards the 2022 WTCS rankings.
2020: Placed eighth as the top U.S. man at the 2020 World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, Germany, on Sept. 5 • Was part of the silver-medal-winning U.S. team at the 2020 World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships in Hamburg, Germany, on Sept. 6
2019: Finished 5th at the Clermont CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup, on March 2 • Placed 7th at the Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, on March 16 • Finished 36th at the New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup, on March 31 • Finished 29th at the ITU World Triathlon Bermuda, on April 27 • Placed 15th at the ITU World Triathlon Yokohama, on May 18 • Earned silver at the Huatulco ITU Triathlon World Cup, on June 9 • Finished 41st at the Nur-Sultan ITU Triathlon World Cup, on June 15 • Placed 6th at the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton, on July 20 • Earned bronze as a member of the U.S. Mixed Relay team at the ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series Edmonton, on July 21 • Placed 25th at the Tokyo ITU World Olympic Qualification Event on Aug. 16 • Was the highest-placing U.S. man at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Aug. 31, finishing 11th
2018: Closed his season with a top-five finish at the Salinas ITU Triathlon World Cup on Oct. 21 • Teamed up with Renée Tomlin, Jason West and Taylor Spivey at the Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Mixed Relay American Championships on Oct. 14 (held in a duathlon format), anchoring the team to the win • Earned a career-best 4th-place finish at the Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Triathlon World Cup, which was held as a duathlon, on Oct. 13 • Finished 41st at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Gold Coast, Australia, on Sept. 16 • Earned his first elite victory at the Montreal CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup on August 25 • Finished 46th at the ITU World Triathlon Hamburg on July 14 • Earned a silver medal at the Wuustwezel ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup on June 23, his first podium as an elite triathlete • Placed 18th at the ITU Triathlon World Cup Antwerp on June 17 • Finished 17 at the ITU Triathlon World Cup Cagliari on June 2 • Placed 14th at ITU World Triathlon Yokohama on May 12 • Finished 6th at the ITU Triathlon World Cup Chengdu on May 6 • Placed 14th at the New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup on March 25 • Raced in his first elite ITU competition at the Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup on March 10, placing 7th as one of the top ITU World Cup debuts in U.S. history
2017: In his first national-level triathlon competition, claimed the men’s overall title and qualified for his elite license at the USA Triathlon Age-Group Sprint National Championships in Omaha, Nebraska
Collegiate Running Accolades: Member of the 2014 NCAA National Champion CU Boulder men’s cross-country team • Seven-time All-American in cross-country and track • Set the eighth-fastest mark for a CU Buff in the outdoor 5k with a time of 13:26:22 in 2015 • Placed third in the 5k at the NCAA Indoor National Championships in 2015
