Triathlon at the Summer Olympics

Last updated

Triathlon at the Summer Olympics
Triathlon pictogram.svg
IOC CodeTRI
Governing body World Triathlon
Events3 (men: 1; women: 1; mixed: 1)
Summer Olympics
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1904
  • 1908
  • 1912
  • 1920
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000

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.

Contents

Summary

GamesYearEventsBest Nation
XXVII 2000 2Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland (1)
XXVIII 2004 2Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand (1)
XXIX 2008 2Flag of Australia.svg  Australia (1)
XXX 2012 2Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain (1)
XXXI 2016 2Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain (2)
XXXII 2020 3Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain (3)
XXXIII 2024 3Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain (4)

History

The 2000 Summer Olympics saw the first appearance of the triathlon. 48 women and 52 men competed in separate triathlons. The distances used were the "international" or "standard" ones, with a 1.5 km (0.93 mi) swim, 40 km (25 mi) cycle, and a 10 km (6.2 mi) run. The 2004 triathlon was identical to the first in distance, but the 100-athlete quota was evened between 50 women and 50 men. The quota was further increased to 55 women and 55 men for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and remained the same for London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Results summary

The most successful and the most decorated [1] triathlete in Olympic history is Alex Yee from Great Britain, with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze across two Games (2020 and 2024). he is the only triathlete with four Olympic medals as of 2024, and the only triathlete to win multiple medals in multiple Games (2 each in 2020 and 2024). Only one athlete, Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee, has ever won the individual Olympic triathlon twice (in 2012 and 2016), making him the most successful individual Olympic triathlete as of 2024, while his brother Jonathan Brownlee uniquely won all three different medals in three consecutive Games, bronze in 2012 and silver in 2016 in the individual event behind brother Alistair, and finally a gold in the inaugural team relay in 2020, thus making him at the time the most decorated Olympic triathlete, and the first three-time medalist, later joined by British team-mates Yee (who then surpassed him with four medals) and Georgia Taylor-Brown, the most successful and most decorated female Olympic triathlete with three medals, one of each colour. Yee, Taylor Brown and Brownlee are the only triathletes to have a medal of each colour as of 2024.

Several other athletes have also won two medals, especially since the mixed relay introduced a second opportunity to medal and a greater number of medal winners per Games: these include individual silver and bronze for New Zealanders Bevan Docherty and Hayden Wilde, and two Olympic champions, Canada's Simon Whitfield and Switzerland's Nicola Spirig, who both won a gold, followed by a silver medal. Katie Zaferes, Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown became the first triathletes to win two medals in the same Games in 2021 with the introduction of the mixed relay, the latter two athletes becoming the most successful triathlete in a single Games with a gold (relay) and a silver (individual) medal. Cassandre Beaugrand won individual gold in 2024 in Paris, after winning relay bronze in Tokyo in 2021, becoming only the second triathlete to win a gold medal at a home Games after Alistair Brownlee in London in 2012. Jonathon Brownlee, Leo Bergere of France in 2024 and Michelle Jones of Australia in Sydney in 2004 have also won medals at home Games.

While six men have won individual medals in two separate Games, with three of them winning gold medals, and the senior Brownlee winning two gold medals, only Nicola Spirig, among women, has won individual medals in two separate Games.

Great Britain is the most successful and decorated nation as of 2024, with eleven medals, all won from 2012 onwards - four gold, three silver and four bronze medals. The British have won at least one medal in every Olympic triathlon race since the women's individual race in 2012, a run that has included four individual men's races, three individual women's races and two mixed relays. New Zealand (2004) and Great Britain (2016) are the only nations to have completed a one-two finish in an individual event.

No nation has yet won both women's and men's individual events at the same Games, or indeed a gold in both races across any Games. Both Germany and Great Britain have won the men's individual and mixed relay events at least once, but neither at the same Games.

Canadian Simon Whitfield was the first gold medalist in the men's Olympic triathlon, in 2000. Simon-whitfield-triathlete.jpg
Canadian Simon Whitfield was the first gold medalist in the men's Olympic triathlon, in 2000.
Kate Allen of Austria came from behind to win the 2004 women's Olympic triathlon event. 2008 Kate Allen.JPG
Kate Allen of Austria came from behind to win the 2004 women's Olympic triathlon event.

Men

Women

Mixed relay

Medal table

16 nations have split the forty-eight medals awarded in the triathlon events, accurate as of the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic Games. [2]

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain  (GBR)43411
2Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland  (SUI)2226
3Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)2103
4Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS)1225
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand  (NZL)1225
Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)1225
7Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada  (CAN)1102
8Flag of France.svg  France  (FRA)1023
9Flag of Austria.svg  Austria  (AUT)1001
Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda  (BER)1001
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)1001
12Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal  (POR)0101
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain  (ESP)0101
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)0101
15Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic  (CZE)0011
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA)0011
Totals (16 entries)16161648

Multiple medalists

As of 2024, the following triathletes have won two or more medals in Olympic triathlon.

RankAthleteNationYearsGoldSilverBronzeTotalNotes
1 Alex Yee Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 2020-20242114
2 Alistair Brownlee 2008-20162002
3 Jonathan Brownlee 2012-20201113
Georgia Taylor-Brown 2020-20241113
5 Simon Whitfield Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2000-20041102
Nicola Spirig Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 2012-20161102
7 Cassandra Beaugrand Flag of France.svg  France 2020-20241012
8 Morgan Pearson Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2020-20240202
Taylor Knibb 2020-20240202
10 Hayden Wilde Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 2020-20240112
Bevan Docherty 2004-20080112
Katie Zaferes Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2016-20200112
13 Beth Potter Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 20240022

Qualification

Qualification spots in the triathlon are allotted to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) rather than to individual athletes.

There are five ways for NOCs to earn spots in the triathlon. NOCs can earn a maximum of three spots, though only eight nations may earn that many. Nations beyond that may earn only two spots. [3]

The first five spots go to the winners of the five regional qualifying tournaments. Three more spots go to the top three triathletes of the most recent Triathlon World Championships, though any athlete that won a regional tournament is skipped in that determination. The next 39 places go to the NOCs of those athletes highest in the ITU ranking (again, skipping those athletes that have already qualified in the first two methods). A forty-eighth place is awarded to the host country if it has not already received a spot, or to the next highest ranked athlete if the host country has. Two places are awarded by the Tripartite Commission. In the end, further five places are distributed to the NOCs without any quota through the ITU Points List, with one place for each continent. [3]

Competition Format

The Olympic triathlon is composed of two medal events, one for men and the other for women. Both use the same distances of 1.5 km, 40 km, and 10 km. Mass starts are used and drafting is allowed during the cycling phase.

Because of the variability of courses and uncontrollable conditions, official time based records are not kept for the triathlon. This rule applies to Olympic games as well.

Changes for Tokyo 2020

In the Olympic games, held in Tokyo, there was an inclusion of a mixed relay race. Teams of two men and two women competed on a course consisting of a 300m swim, 8 km cycle, and 2 km run before tagging a teammate.

Nations

The following nations have taken part in the triathlon competition.

Nation9600040812202428323648525660646872768084889296 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Years
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina  (ARG)                       121215
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS)                       6656666
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria  (AUT)                       1342346
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan  (AZE)                       112
Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados  (BAR)                       11
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium  (BEL)                       2222446
Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda  (BER)                       112115
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil  (BRA)                       6633236
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada  (CAN)                       4565546
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile  (CHI)                       112125
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN)                       2232216
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia  (COL)                       1113
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica  (CRC)                       1113
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic  (CZE)                       4534126
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark  (DEN)                       211215
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador  (ECU)                       1113
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia  (EST)                       11114
Flag of France.svg  France  (FRA)                       6456556
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)                       4566546
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain  (GBR)                       6656656
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece  (GRE)                       1113
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong  (HKG)                       1213
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary  (HUN)                       4221446
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland  (IRL)                       12224
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel  (ISR)                       122
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)                       3343456
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica  (JAM)                       11
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan  (JPN)                       6555446
Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan  (JOR)                       11
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan  (KAZ)                       2313
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg  (LUX)                       11214
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius  (MRI)                       112
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico  (MEX)                       222545
Flag of Monaco.svg  Monaco  (MON)                       11
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco  (MAR)                       11
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands  (NED)                       6222246
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986-2010).svg  Netherlands Antilles  (AHO)                       11
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand  (NZL)                       4426446
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)                       142
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland  (POL)                       3313
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal  (POR)                       132335
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)                       1355646
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania  (ROU)                       11
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia  (SVK)                       1113
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia  (SLO)                       112
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA)                       2223446
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea  (KOR)                       11
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain  (ESP)                       4646656
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)                       11114
Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland  (SUI)                       6564446
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria  (SYR)                       112
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)                       2232116
Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)                       6665656
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela  (VEN)                       112
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe  (ZIM)                       1113
Nations343437394138
Competitors100100110110110110
Year9600040812202428323648525660646872768084889296 00 04 08 12 16 20 24

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alistair Brownlee</span> English triathlete (born 1988)

Alistair Edward Brownlee MBE is an English triathlete. He is the only 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 triathlon 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. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest male Triathletes ever.

Triathlon is one of the sports at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games competition. It was first granted Commonwealth Games sport status in 2002, and has been held in each edition since, except in Delhi 2010 Games due to the lack of suitable venue for the swimming leg in Delhi. Until 2022, it was a core sport which had to be included in each competition's sporting programme. Para-triathlon was first included as an optional sport in the Gold Coast 2018 games. The next appearance of the sport will take place in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Australia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonny Brownlee</span> English triathlete (born 1990)

Jonathan Callum Brownlee is an English professional duathlete and triathlete. He is a six-time World champion, and one-time Olympic champion in triathlon.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triathlon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games</span>

The Triathlon competitions at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, were held in Strathclyde Country Park. The men's and women's individual events were held on Thursday 24 July and women's triathlon was the first medal event of the Games. Mixed team relay was held on Saturday 26 July for the first time ever in major multi-sport Games. Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC member, commented: "We are delighted the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee has embraced the Triathlon Mixed Relay. Triathlon is on currently on a high in the United Kingdom, and the Mixed Relay will offer an extra opportunity for the people of Glasgow to watch another thrilling and unpredictable event live on their city streets."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain at the 2015 European Games</span> Sporting event delegation

Great Britain participated at the 2015 European Games, in Baku, Azerbaijan from 12 to 28 June 2015. As this was the inaugural Games, this was Great Britain's first appearance.

Jessica Learmonth is a British triathlete. Learmonth is a European, Commonwealth, Olympic and World Triathlon Series medal winner based in Leeds, England where she trains at the Leeds Triathlon Centre. She won the European Triathlon Championship in 2017 and took silver in 2018. She competed in the women's event and the mixed relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning silver medals in both disciplines. Learmonth won silver in the 2019 World Triathlon Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Great Britain, or in full Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the team of the British Olympic Association (BOA), which represents the United Kingdom, competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Taylor-Brown</span> British triathlete

Georgia Taylor-Brown is an English professional triathlete. Having won bronze in the 2018 and 2019 World Triathlon Series, Taylor Brown won the one-off sprint triathlon race in Hamburg that constituted the 2020 World Triathlon Championship, becoming the fifth British woman to become world champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayden Wilde</span> New Zealand triathlete (born 1997)

Hayden Wilde is a New Zealand professional triathlete. He was the silver medalist at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Yee</span> British professional triathlete (born 1998)

Alexander Amos Yee is a British professional triathlete and distance runner. He won the gold medal in the Men's Triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the silver medal in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the gold medal in the Triathlon Mixed Relay at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the bronze medal in the same event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. With two golds, one silver, and one bronze medal, Yee is the most successful triathlete in Olympic history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bence Bicsák</span> Hungarian triathlete

Bence Bicsák is a Hungarian professional triathlete and double Olympian. He was a member of the Hungarian 2024 Olympic Triathlon team and officially selected to compete in the men's individual event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he finished in 16th place out of 55 Olympians who started the race. He was also a member of the Hungarian 2020 Olympic Triathlon team and competed in the men's individual event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Summer Games where placed 7th out of 51 Olympians who started the race. Post Paris 2024 Olympics, Bicsák's 7th-place finish at an Olympic triathlon event remains unsurpassed by any other Hungarian triathlete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Great Britain, the team of the British Olympic Association (BOA) which represents the United Kingdom, competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The delegation of 327 athletes included 172 women and 155 men and featured 73 medallists from previous Games. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom including Northern Ireland. Additionally some British overseas territories compete separately from Britain in Olympic competition.

The 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series was the 13th season of the World Triathlon Championship Series, the top level international series for triathlon, since its establishment in 2009. The season consisted of four pairs of triathlon races for both a men's and women's competition, beginning on May 15 in Yokohama, and concluding on August 21 with the grand final in Edmonton. The series calendar also included the 2020 Summer Olympics individual races on July 26 and 27 and mixed relay event on July 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics</span>

The triathlon competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris ran from 31 July to 5 August at Pont Alexandre III, featuring a total of 110 athletes who were to compete in each of the men's and women's events. After a successful debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the mixed relay competition will remain in the triathlon program for the second time.

This article details the qualifying phase for triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The competition at these Games will comprise a total of 110 athletes coming from their respective NOCs with a maximum of three per gender. All athletes must undergo a qualifying pathway to earn a spot for the Games through the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships, the Olympic Qualification Event, the Continental Qualification, and the Olympic Qualification List which began on 27 May 2022 and then concludes two years later on the same date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Mixed relay</span>

The Mixed relay triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics took place at the Pont Alexandre III in Paris on 5 August 2024. The mixed team event features teams of four. Each athlete swims 300 m (330 yd), cycles 8 km (5.0 mi), and runs 2 km (1.2 mi) in a relay format.

References

  1. Traditionally the most 'successful' Olympians have been sorted by gold medals won, then silvers, then bronze. The most 'decorated' Olympians are traditionally sorted by overall medals won.
  2. "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  3. 1 2 "Qualification System – Games of the XXXI Olympiad – Triathlon" (PDF). February 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2015.