Former Cal Poly swimmer wins silver in Olympic triathlon mixed relay

In a photo finish, former Cal Poly swimmer Tayor Spivey and the triathlon mixed relay team took the silver medal at the Paris Olympics on Monday, just edging out third-place Great Britain.

Spivey, who swam as a Mustang from 2009 to 2014, helped the U.S. triathlon team earn the second spot on the podium by a mere 0.005 seconds.

In the mixed relay event, men and women athletes switch off racing a mini triathlon, Jordan Blanco, Spivey’s manager, told The Tribune. Each person swam a 300-meter swim, biked 7 kilometers and ran 1.8 kilometers before tagging off to their teammate.

Spivey handled the second leg of the race, gaining ground during the bike and run and moving the U.S. into fifth place, according to USA Triathlon.

The U.S. team of Seth Rider, Spivey, Morgan Pearson and Taylor Knibb finished in a time of 1 hour, 25 minutes and 40 seconds, just 0.01 seconds behind the gold-winning German team.

Knibb crossed the finish line just ahead of Great Britain in a race that seemed “eerily similar” to Noah Lyles’ win in the 100-meter dash Sunday night, a news release from Cal Poly’s assistant director of athletics communications Dylan Greene said.

In the news release, Spivey said the U.S. team was “lining up for the podium” when they realized they took second, at first thinking they were going to receive a bronze medal.

“So, I think we’re the happiest silver medal athletes in the history of the Games,” Spivey said in the release.

Spivey is only the fourth Cal Poly alum to win an Olympic medal, joining rower Karen Kraft, equestrian Gina Miles and Stephanie Brown Trafton, who won gold in discus, according to Cal Poly’s release.

“It feels so incredible,” Spivey said in the release. “To walk away with the silver medal is really special.”

Spivey took 10th place in the individual event before helping relay team take silver

Before the mixed event, Spivey competed in the individual triathlon event — a 1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10-kilometer run — on July 30, taking 10th place. The swim took place in the Seine River, before athletes bike and run along the Champs Elysées.

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, The Tribune reported on Spivey’s journey to making the USA Triathlon team and how her time swimming for Cal Poly contributed to her drive to becoming a world champion triathlete.

For the triathlete, most days consist of training in all three sports: swimming, biking and running. Spivey said the sport requires “time management, diligence and the ability to grind.”

The Olympics runs through Aug. 11, with events airing on NBC and USA Network. The events will also continue streaming on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms.

From Mustang swimmer to Olympian: How Cal Poly grad secured a spot on Paris triathlon team