2012 ITU Rank ITU Rank: 76
2012 USAT Rank USAT Rank: 5
First Year Elite: 2012
Twitter: @lukasverzbicas
Hometown: Orland Hills, Ill.
Resides: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Birthdate: 1/6/1993 (20)
Birthplace: Kaunas, Lithuania
Career Highlights
2012 Banyoles ITU World Cup Champion
2011 ITU Junior World Championships Gold Medalist
2011 USA Triathlon Junior Elite National Champion
2011 USA Triathlon Junior Athlete of the Year
2009 ITU Junior Duathlon World Championships Gold Medalist
Elite Triathlon Career: 2012 USA Triathlon Rookie of the Year • Finished 2012 ranked as the No. 5 American and 76th overall in the ITU World Triathlon Series rankings • Saw rookie season come to an end with a July 31, 2012, bike crash on a training ride • At the sprint-distance 2012 Tiszaujvaros ITU World Cup, placed sixth in the final after winning his semifinal round July 14 • Finished 32nd overall and recorded the day’s second-fastest run split (30:35) in his ITU World Triathlon Series debut at the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Kitzbühel • Won his ITU World Cup debut in 2012 in Banyoles, Spain • Recorded the day’s fastest run split of 30:55 to claim victory and become the youngest U.S. athlete to win an ITU World Cup • Earned his first career elite victory with a win at the 2012 Dallas ITU Pan American Cup • Pulled away on the run to finish more than a minute clear of the field in Dallas • Made his elite debut at the 2012 PATCO Pan American Championships in La Paz, Argentina, but withdrew from the race with a shin injury.
Athletic Background: One of the most decorated prep runners in U.S. history at Carl Sandburg High School • Named the National High School Cross Country Athlete of the Year as a sophomore and junior (he graduated early and bypassed his senior year) • Set national high school records for the outdoor two-mile and the indoor 5,000 meters • Was just the fifth high school runner ever to break the four-minute mile mark • Attended the University of Oregon on a running scholarship in the Fall of 2011 before deciding to relocate to Colorado Springs and dedicate himself to full time to triathlon training.
