These are strange times for Olympians.

　　An athlete can win medal after medal, but should they be caught on camera in a compromising or hilarious situation, the ensuing tonnage of Internet memes will overshadow those accolades. Want proof? I dare you to Google French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati or Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec.

　　I fear that American Olympic triathlete Taylor Knibb is headed for a similar fate. Im here to beg you, people of the Internet, to not let it happen.

　　Over the weekend, Knibb, 26, dominated the T100 world championships triathlon in Dubai, winning the race by over two minutes. But during the run portion Knibb pooped in her racing suit. Hey, its triathlon—indigestion and the occasional mid-race crap are as common as an untied sneaker. Knibb had the presence of mind to share her predicament with the cameraman who was trailing her: she asked him to spare viewers the unflattering view from behind. I just shit myself, she said into the camera. So can you not get my ass? The cameraman complied.

　　Alas, this short video clip has entered the Internets cruel meme cycle. I first saw it on Instagram on Sunday night, and by Wednesday, stories about Knibb dotted the Internet. Even The Daily Mail picked it up—the surest sign that a story has become part of the Internets lowbrow sludge.

　　I understand why: pants pooping is almost always a little funny, and doing so during a world-class sporting competition simply adds to the knee-slapping appeal. Plus, Knibbs calm, matter-of-fact demeanor in the midst of a could-be crisis moment won hearts. Shes a little like that meme of the dog in the burning room claiming This is fine, if that dog were also masterfully managing its own PR in real-time.

　　But as we all know, viral memes have a way of distorting reality and overshadowing facts. And the truth about Taylor Knibb is that shes probably the most impressive American endurance athlete of her generation. Period. And I will say this until Im hoarse: Taylor Knibb is far too impressive of an athlete for a goofy meme to define her online reputation.

　　Knibb wins triathlons of varying distances, and in 2020 she won Olympic silver in Tokyo. Not to be outdone, in 2024 Knibb qualified for the American Olympic team in both triathlon and road cycling. To the unfamiliar, this may seem pretty ho-hum. Cycling is one of the three legs of triathlon, after all. Isnt this just like Michael Phelps winning medals in breast stroke, backstroke, and butterfly?

　　Nope—its completely different. Its more like if Phelps won in the 100-meter freestyle and then donned a sequined outfit and did the Olympic synchronized swimming competition and totally kicked ass at it. No American has competed in triathlon and cycling at the same Olympics ever before. Its a big deal. In fact, Knibb was the only American to compete in two different sports at the Paris Games. She also raced the Olympic team triathlon and helped Team USA earn a silver medal.

　　Within the small community of endurance sports superfanatics—yes, I am a card-carrying member—Knibbs double-Olympic qualification was mind-blowing.

　　Threading that needle of being world-class in triathlon and cycling at the same time is beyond difficult, says longtime coach Neal Henderson, who trains elite-level cyclists and triathletes. Its hard to put into words just how impossible that is.

　　Henderson told Outside that the training demands to be that good in two different sports are mind-boggling. Elite cyclists and triathletes both train anywhere from 25-28 hours a week. But cyclists dedicate all of that time toward the very specific physiological act of pedaling a bicycle. Triathletes, meanwhile, split those hours between swimming, biking, and running.

　　And anyone whos ever done a triathlon knows that running and cycling are not exactly complementary exercises. Im simplifying here, but pedaling a bicycle requires your leg muscles to generate high levels of power. Thats why top cyclists often have brawny quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

　　Running, meanwhile, damages big, brawny leg muscles, and saps those muscles of the power required to push the pedals of a bicycle. If you examine the worlds top distance runners—and triathletes—you will see lithe, spindly legs.

　　The physiological demands of running has a negative effect on being able to maintain the muscle mass, strength, and power that make you a good cyclist, Henderson said. And in elite sports, youre talking about razor-edge differences that come from putting huge demands on the body.

　　Henderson, who operates the Colorado-based coaching company Apex Coaching, coached Knibb when she was an 18-year-old budding professional triathlete. She had graduated from Cornell as an Academic All American and a top-level cross-country runner, and she had her sights set on professional triathlon. Knibb was the rare teenaged athlete with world-class natural talent, monk-like dedication to training, and personal ambitions that were sky-high, Henderson said.

　　But even he had his doubts when Knibb told him that in 2024 she hoped to qualify for the Olympics in two different sports. Her travel schedule for triathlon left very little time to train specifically for cycling. And the handful of American women competing for a spot in Paris included talented athletes who have spent years focusing on the sport.

　　It seemed unreasonable for Taylor to go to the Olympics in both, Henderson said. But if you place reasonable expectations on athletes with unreasonable ability, youll never know what theyre capable of.

　　Knibb had earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic triathlon team in 2023, and in 2024 a rare opportunity opened for her to go in cycling. USA Cycling, the sports governing body, held a winner-take-all Olympic qualification race in the individual time trial on May 15. The race fell right in the middle of Knibbs international competition schedule for triathlon, just a few days after a major race in Japan.

　　After finishing second at the Japanese triathlon, Knibb traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, for the road cycling race. She faced off against the countrys best professional cyclists in the 22-mile individual race. Among the competitors included former world champion Amber Neben, former U.S. road champion Lauren Stephens, and even Kristen Faulkner, who went on to win two cycling gold medals in Paris. Everyone wanted the victory, because a win meant an automatic spot on the U.S. Olympic cycling team.

　　Knibb smoked them all—she topped Faulkner by 11 seconds to grab the spot.

　　When I read the news, I just about fell out of my chair. When Henderson learned of Knibbs victory, he smiled. He knew she was capable of it, after all.

　　So, if you must, have your little laugh at the video, then take a minute to get to know Knibb for who she really is: an exceptional athlete with huge ambitions, crazy strength, and yes, the ability to stay calm and collected, no matter the situation.