Triathlon has been an Olympic sport since its debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. [1] Its inclusion in the Summer Olympic Games program was the quickest of any sport: [2] the International Triathlon Union (ITU) was founded in 1989 and five years later, on 4 September 1994, triathlon's Olympic status was approved by the 103rd International Olympic Committee Session, in Paris. [3] The variant contested at the Olympics (called Olympic distance) is composed of a 1,500-meter (4,921 ft) swim, followed by a 40-kilometer (25 mi) bicycle race, and a final 10 km (6 mi) run leg. The distances were chosen based on the resulting format to be a challenge for participants (sprint triathletes as well as endurance competitors) and entertaining for spectators all over the world. [4]
From 2000, the triathlon competition consisted of a men's and a women's event. A third event, the mixed medley relay involving four triathletes each covering the sprint distance, was introduced in 2021. [5] The inaugural women's event was the first to be contested during the Sydney Games, and crowned Swiss triathlete Brigitte McMahon as the first Olympic champion, over the heavy-favorite Australians. [6] The following day, Simon Whitfield of Canada, who was not considered one of the favorites, came from behind and took the men's gold medal with a 200-meter sprint finish. [7] In similar fashion, long-distance specialist Kate Allen of Austria secured the women's Olympic title in 2004. [8] New Zealand placed two male triathletes in the top two, as Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty won the gold and silver medals, respectively. [9] At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Whitfield was on the verge of repeating his 2000 success, but failed to keep his lead over Jan Frodeno of Germany in the final meters, who pipped the Canadian to the gold medal. [10] The Australian power in women's triathlon was rewarded at the Beijing Games, when three-time world champion and favorite Emma Snowsill clinched the gold medal and Emma Moffatt secured the bronze. [11]
After securing a second career Olympic medal in Beijing, Simon Whitfield (one gold and one silver) and Bevan Docherty (one silver and one bronze) were the only triathletes to have won more than one Olympic medal. [10] In 2016 Alistair Brownlee (twice gold) and Jonathan Brownlee (one silver and one bronce) as well as the first woman, Nicola Spirig Hug (one gold and one silver), joined this circle. In 2021 at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics. Jonathan Brownlee became the first and, to date only, triathlete to win three medals, and the first to have a full set of gold, silver and bronze.
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
2020 Tokyo | Great Britain (GBR) Jess Learmonth Jonny Brownlee Georgia Taylor-Brown Alex Yee | United States (USA) Katie Zaferes Kevin McDowell Taylor Knibb Morgan Pearson | France (FRA) Léonie Périault Dorian Coninx Cassandre Beaugrand Vincent Luis |
2024 Paris |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jonny Brownlee | Great Britain (GBR) | 2012–2020 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
2 | Alistair Brownlee | Great Britain (GBR) | 2012–2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
3 | Simon Whitfield | Canada (CAN) | 2000–2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Nicola Spirig | Switzerland (SUI) | 2012–2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Alex Yee | Great Britain (GBR) | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Georgia Taylor-Brown | Great Britain (GBR) | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
7 | Bevan Docherty | New Zealand (NZL) | 2004–2008 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Katie Zaferes | United States (USA) | 2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Great Britain (GBR) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
Switzerland (SUI) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Australia (AUS) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
New Zealand (NZL) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
United States (USA) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Canada (CAN) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Austria (AUT) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Bermuda (BER) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Norway (NOR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Portugal (POR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Spain (ESP) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Czech Republic (CZE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
South Africa (RSA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 13 | 13 | 13 | 39 |
Simon St. Quentin Whitfield is a retired Olympic triathlon champion from Canada. Whitfield won 10 consecutive Canadian Triathlon Championships titles and carried the Canadian national flag during the 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Sydney, where he had won his gold medal, and the opening ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, making him one of few Canadian athletes to be honoured twice as Olympic flag bearer.
Bevan John Docherty is a triathlete from New Zealand, who won medals twice at the Olympic Games. Docherty attended Tauhara College, Taupo.
Triathlon had its Summer Olympics debut at the 2000 Games, in Sydney, when men's and women's individual events were first held, and has been contested since then. In 2021, at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics a mixed team relay event was held for the first time. The sport, and its Olympic events, are governed by the International Triathlon Union, known since 2019 as World Triathlon.
Emma Laura Snowsill OAM is an Australian professional triathlete and multiple gold medalist in the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. She won the gold medal in triathlon at the 2008 Olympics. Snowsill is married to the 2008 Olympic champion in men's triathlon, Jan Frodeno.
Jacquilyn Louise "Jackie" Fairweather was an Australian world champion triathlete, long-distance runner, coach and Australian Institute of Sport high-performance administrator.
Kris Gemmell is a New Zealand triathlete, and 2002 World Aquathon Champion in Cancún, Mexico. He has also competed in the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games finishing 6th and 5th respectively.
Alistair Edward Brownlee MBE is a British triathlete. He is the only male athlete to hold two Olympic titles in the individual triathlon event, winning gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. He is also a four-time World Champion in triatlon being Triathlon World Champion twice and World Team Champion twice, a four-time European Champion, and the 2014 Commonwealth champion. Brownlee is the only athlete, male or female, to have completed a grand slam of Olympic, World, continental and Commonwealth championships. Brownlee is also a one-time world champion in aquathlon.
Francisco Javier Gómez Noya is a Spanish triathlete. He is the winner of five ITU Triathlon World Championships, he holds three ITU Triathlon World Cup titles, and won the Silver medal for Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in men's triathlon. He has also won world titles for Ironman 70.3 and XTERRA Triathlon.
Jan Frodeno 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 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2015 and 2018. He had set the world record for the long distance in Roth, Germany in 2016 with 7:35:39 hours. In 2021, he broke his own world record during the Tributtle in Allgäu, Germany against Lionel Sanders, with a time of 07:27:53, setting a new world best for the long-distance triathlon.
The men's triathlon was part of the Triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which was established in 2000. The competition was held on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at the Triathlon Venue at the Ming Tomb Reservoir in Shisanling. Fifty-five triathletes from 31 nations competed.
Jonathan Callum Brownlee is a British professional duathlete and triathlete. He is a six-time World champion, and one-time Olympic champion in triathlon.
Emma Jackson is an Australian professional triathlete, U23 World Champion of the year 2010, and 2009 Junior World Championships silver medalist.
The Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series 2011 was a series of six World Championship Triathlon events leading to a Grand Final held in Beijing, China in September 2011. The Series was organised under the auspices of the world governing body of triathlon, the International Triathlon Union (ITU), and was sponsored by Dextro Energy.
The triathlon events at the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in Hyde Park in London, United Kingdom, with the women's triathlon held on 4 August and the men's on 7 August. 110 triathletes from 39 countries competed with 55 men and 55 women competing. The races were held over the "international distance" and consisted of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) swimming, 43 kilometres (27 mi) road cycling, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) road running.
Dame Flora Jane Duffy is a Bermudian triathlete. She won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Bermuda's first gold medal. She also competed in Beijing, London, and Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In 2018, she won gold in the women's triathlon at the XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia. She also won gold in the same event at the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
The men's triathlon was one of the triathlon events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. It took place on 7 August 2012, featuring 55 men from 32 countries. It was the fourth appearance of an Olympic men's triathlon event since the first at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The race was around Hyde Park, a 1.42 km2 park in central London. The race was held over the "international distance" and consisted of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) swimming, 42.959 kilometres (26.693 mi) road cycling, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) road running.
Shane Robert Reed was a New Zealand aquathlete and triathlete. He won three titles at the ITU Aquathlon World Championships. During his sporting career, he took part in over 65 ITU competitions, winning five medals and achieving thirty-one top ten finishes.
Lauren Campbell is a triathlete from Canada, who won the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is currently ranked no. 48 in the world by the International Triathlon Union.
Hayden Wilde is a New Zealand professional triathlete. He was the bronze medallist at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, the silver medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the winner of the 2021 XTERRA World Championships. He finished second in the 2021 Super League Triathlon Championship Series, having taken the win at the SLT London race. Wilde won the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Series, having been victorious in 3 of the 5 series races.
Alexander Amos Yee is a British professional triathlete and distance runner. He won the silver medal in the Men's Triathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the gold medal in the Triathlon Mixed Relay at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Saturday 31 July 2021. He is also the 2022 Commonwealth Games triathlon champion in both the men's and mixed team events. He is a double World Championship medalist over the World Triathlon Championship Series, with silver in 2022, and bronze in 2021