Andrew Robert Potts (born December 28, 1976) is a

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the d ...

from the United States. He competed in

triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the triathlon events were held at the Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre. Fifty triathletes contested the female event on August 25, and the same number contested the male event on August 26, making up a total of 100 compe ...

and is the 2007

Ironman 70.3 An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting o ...

World Champion. Prior to triathlon, Potts was a swimmer where he won the bronze medal in the men's 400m individual medley at the

1995 Summer Universiade The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan. Emblem The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch. In the flames one sees bot ...

and earned a spot on the

USA Swimming USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overal ...

national team where he would place fourth at the 1996 Olympic Trials in the 400 IM.

Personal

Raised in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, Potts graduated from Princeton High School in 1995. While attending school at Michigan, Potts met his future wife, Lisa Simes, who was a member of the University of Michigan gymnastics teams. Simes was an acrobat for the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

show, O, in Las Vegas. The two married on June 30, 2004. They have a son, Boston Thomas Potts and a daughter, Sloane Potts.

Career

Potts graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 2000 with a B.A. in English and a secondary teaching certificate. At Michigan, he swam for the

Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving The Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program has both a men's and women's team. The University of Michigan swimming program is one of the most highly respected college swimming programs in the country. The men's and women's teams, which ha ...

team from 1995 to 1999, serving as team captain for the 1998–99 season. Potts was a six-time NCAA All-American swimmer while at Michigan and a two-time Big 10 individual champion. He was also a member of the Michigan track team in 1999–2000.

2003-2006

Potts began competing as a professional triathlete in 2003 and was named USA Triathlon Rookie of the Year. He was also the only athlete to break into the Top 100 World Rankings as a rookie. Potts competed at the second Olympic triathlon at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

after only participating in the sport of triathlon for 22 months. He placed twenty-second with a total time of 1:55:36.47. In 2005 and 2006, Potts competed in a variety

ITU Triathlon World Cup The World Triathlon Cup is an annual series of triathlon races staged around the world. The series is organised by the World Triathlon, the world governing body of the sport. Inaugurated in 1991, the World Cup began as an attempt to create a regular ...

races, accumulating a number of top three podium finishes and finished out the 2006 year ranked third in the world. Potts was recognized as USAT Triathlete of The Year in 2006.

2007-2009

In 2007, Potts won the triathlon event at the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Com ...

. Later that year, Potts would win the 2007

World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, with a time of 3:42:33. On June 27, 2010, Potts captured his first career

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...

win in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, with a winning time of 8:24:40. His best finish at the

Ironman World Championship The Ironman World Championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culmination of a series of Ironman triathlon qualification ...

is a 7th-place finish at the 2009 Championships. He was recognized again as USAT Triathlete of The Year in 2007 and 2008.

2010-2011

After finishing the swim in 2nd place, Potts took the lead on the bike and finished Ironman Coeur d'Alene with a strong 1st-place finish. In the fall, he set a new course record at Ironman Cozumel with a 2:52:19 marathon, the fastest time of the day. Andy Potts earned victories at Ironman 70.3 New Orleans and Ironman 70.3 Boulder, and at Ironman 70.3 Timberman, he earned his third victory in as many attempts. In 2011 Potts had several successful performances at the half-ironman distance, including first-place finishes at Ironman 70.3 Florida, Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, and Ironman 70.3 Vineman. He also earned victories at Philadelphia Triathlon and CapTex Triathlon in Austin, TX.

2012-2016

In 2012, Andy Potts won the Ironman 70.3 California triathlon in Oceanside, CA for the fourth time. Later that year, Potts took first in Ironman 70.3 St. Croix in the

US Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. Potts is considered the winningest male ever to compete in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, after having won the event for the 5th time in June 2012. Later in the year, Potts also won Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman 70.3, and Ironman 70.3 Branson. In 2012, he accomplished his best performance to date at the

Kona, Hawaii Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...

with a 7th-place finish as the first American. Potts, in 2013, won the Ironman 70.3 California triathlon in Oceanside, CA for the fifth time, edging out Jesse Thomas by 10 seconds. Potts also took first in Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, in Cambridge Maryland. Potts was the first repeat winner at Ironman Lake Placid, winning by 5 minutes over Daniel Fontana. The next year Potts won the Ironman Coeur d'Alene 140.6 On June 29, with a time of 8:25:44, edging Viktor Zyemtsev by less than three minutes. He finished fourth at the 2014 Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI on October 10, 2014 in a time of 08:21:38. Potts began the 2015 season at the inaugural Challenge Dubai with a 12th-place finish, which was a result of a penalty that occurred during the bike leg. At Ironman Oceanside 70.3, Potts earned a silver medal finishing 2nd to the reigning Oceanside champion

Jan Frodeno Jan Frodeno (; born 18 August 1981) is a German triathlete who is the gold medal winner in men's triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, 3-time winner of the Ironman World Championship in 2015, 2016, and 2019, and 2-time winner of the ...

. Potts has since put together 1st, 2nd, 1st-place finishes at New Orleans 70.3, Texas 70.3, and Chattanooga 70.3 respectively. Potts won the Ironman Coeur d'Alene 140.6 on June 28, with a time of 8:20:35. In 2016, Potts won the Ironman Canada 140.6 on July 24, with a time of 8:20:23.

References

External links

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USA Triathlon bioTriathlon.org bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Andy 1976 births Living people American male triathletes American male swimmers American male medley swimmers Triathletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic triathletes of the United States People from Hershey, Pennsylvania Triathletes at the 2007 Pan American Games Michigan Wolverines men's swimmers Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in triathlon Universiade medalists in swimming People from Princeton, New Jersey Princeton High School (New Jersey) alumni Sportspeople from Mercer County, New Jersey Universiade bronze medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games 21st-century American people