After years of training, Morgan Pearson '11 is an Olympic Medalist!  The Delbarton graduate took home a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics last Friday, helping anchor the mixed triathlon team to a silver medal victory.  Morgan Pearson became a distance runner at Delbarton, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Andrew. As a Green Wave senior, Pearson won the 3,000 meters at Penn Relays, and the 3,200m at the Race of Champions.  Pearson went on to Duke for track but would moved on to the University of Colorado to train under coach Mark Wetmore. Pearson would join the USA Triathlon College Recruitment Program where he built his cycling skill, winning the a National Championship in 2017, turning pro.

This year, Pearson qualified for Team USA by finishing third in the World Triathlon Championships in Yokohama, Japan on May 15.  In his first Olympic triathlon event, Pearson had a disappointing finish, coming in 42nd place overall.   After a disappointing finish in the triathlon, Pearson posted on Twitter, "Rough day for me. Was feeling awful the entire race — but that is sport and I refuse to make an excuses. I am very sad right now, and feeling a bit embarrassed."  However, in typical Delbarton form, Pearson's Succisa Virescit moment happened a few days later, as he joined Kevin McDowell, Katie Zaferes and Taylor Knibb in the first ever mixed relay.  Two men and two women each completed a mini triathlon, comprising of a 300-meter swim, 7.4 kilometer bike ride and a two-kilometer run.

Pearson finished his leg in 20 minutes, 20 seconds.  Half way through his run, Pearson ran down one of the world's top triathletes to help put the USA in second place.  Team USA finished 14 seconds behind gold medal Great Britain, but Pearson's incredible run gave Team USA a nine-second lead over France, solidifying a silver medal finish.  "The highs have been probably some of the highest I've ever experienced, but it's also the lowest of lows. It does wear on you," Pearson said. "I was a little bit worried about that heading into here, like maybe I'm out of steam.  "I know my family's watching at home, family, friends. And my brother's watching too. This is for my brother, if anything, and my family."

All of us at Delbarton School congratulate Morgan, the first Delbarton athlete to ever win an Olympic medal!  Go Green Wave!