Triathlon at the Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Triathlon
had its Summer Olympics debut at the 2000 Games
, in Sydney
, and has been contested since then. It is governed by the International Triathlon Union
.
. 48 women and 52 men competed in separate triathlons. The distances used were the "international" or "standard" ones, with a 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) swim, 40 km (24.9 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 remains the same for London 2012. In London, the women's triathlon takes place on Saturday 4 August and the men's on Tuesday 7 August. The triathlon will be one of the best free to view events during the games, with most of Hyde Park open for spectators without tickets.
s 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 nine nations may earn that many. Nations beyond that may earn only two spots. If a nation would be the tenth or later to earn a third spot, it loses that spot.
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. The final two places are awarded by the Tripartite Commission.
is allowed during the cycling
phase.
Key: M - Men only; W - Women only; B - Both competitions.
Simon Whitfeld holds the unofficial record for men, having set the best time in the inaugural triathlon in Sydney. Emma Snowsill's result in Beijing was the best women's result to date.
Record progression
Current record holders in bold.
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
had its Summer Olympics debut at the 2000 Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and has been contested since then. It is governed by the International Triathlon Union
International Triathlon Union
The International Triathlon Union or ITU is the international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and other nonstandard variations...
.
History
The 2000 Summer Olympics saw the first appearance of the triathlonTriathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
. 48 women and 52 men competed in separate triathlons. The distances used were the "international" or "standard" ones, with a 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) swim, 40 km (24.9 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 remains the same for London 2012. In London, the women's triathlon takes place on Saturday 4 August and the men's on Tuesday 7 August. The triathlon will be one of the best free to view events during the games, with most of Hyde Park open for spectators without tickets.
Medal table
Nine nations have split the eighteen medals awarded in the triathlon events.| 1 |  Australia |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 |  New Zealand |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Canada |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Germany |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Switzerland |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 |  Austria |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  Portugal |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Czech Republic |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 United States |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Qualification
Qualification spots in the triathlon are allotted to National Olympic CommitteeNational Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
s 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 nine nations may earn that many. Nations beyond that may earn only two spots. If a nation would be the tenth or later to earn a third spot, it loses that spot.
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. The final two places are awarded by the Tripartite Commission.
Competition
The Olympic triathlon is composed of two medal events. One is for men and the other is for women. Both use the same distances of 1.5 km, 40 km, and 10 km. Mass starts are used and draftingDrafting (racing)
Drafting or slipstreaming is a technique where two vehicles or other moving objects are caused to align in a close group reducing the overall effect of drag due to exploiting the lead object's slipstream...
is allowed during the cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
phase.
Nations
The following nations have taken part in the triathlon competition.| Nation | 00 Triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics Triathlon made its Olympic Games debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The sport consists of three different disciplines, competed consecutively with no rest between them.The Olympic distances for the three disciplines are:... |
04 Triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the triathlon events were held at the Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre. Fifty triathletes contested the female event on August 25, and the same number contested the male event on August 26, making up a total of 100 competitors.... |
08 Triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics The Triathlon competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, were held on Monday, August 18 and Tuesday, August 19 , on the Triathlon Venue at the Ming Tomb Reservoir in Shisanling.... !! Total |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
M | B | - | 2 |
| Australia |
B | B | B | 3 |
| Austria |
M | B | B | 3 |
 Belgium |
W | W | M | 3 |
 Bermuda |
- | M | W | 2 |
 Brazil |
B | B | B | 3 |
| Canada |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Chile |
M | - | W | 2 |
 People's Republic of China |
W | W | B | 3 |
 Colombia |
W | W | - | 2 |
 Costa Rica |
W | - | - | 1 |
| Czech Republic |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Denmark |
B | M | M | 3 |
 Estonia |
- | M | M | 2 |
 France |
B | B | B | 3 |
| Germany |
B | B | B | 3 |
 United Kingdom |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Greece |
M | M | W | 3 |
 Hong Kong |
- | M | B | 2 |
 Hungary |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Republic of Ireland |
- | - | W | 1 |
 Italy |
B | W | B | 3 |
 Jamaica |
W | - | - | 1 |
 Japan |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Kazakhstan |
M | B | M | 3 |
 Luxembourg |
W | W | B | 3 |
 Mexico |
- | M | B | 2 |
 Netherlands |
B | W | B | 3 |
 Netherlands Antilles |
M | - | - | 1 |
| New Zealand |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Poland |
- | - | B | 1 |
| Portugal |
- | W | B | 2 |
 Russia |
W | B | B | 3 |
 Slovakia |
- | - | M | 1 |
 South Africa |
B | B | W | 3 |
 Spain |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Sweden |
M | - | W | 2 |
| Switzerland |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Syria |
- | - | M | 1 |
 Ukraine |
M | M | B | 3 |
| United States |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Venezuela |
M | M | - | 2 |
 Zimbabwe |
M | - | M | 2 |
| Nations | 34 | 33 | 36 | |
| Year | 00 | 04 | 08 |
Key: M - Men only; W - Women only; B - Both competitions.
Records
Because of the variability of courses, official Olympic records are not kept for the triathlon.Simon Whitfeld holds the unofficial record for men, having set the best time in the inaugural triathlon in Sydney. Emma Snowsill's result in Beijing was the best women's result to date.
Record progression
Current record holders in bold.
| Gender | Olympian | Time | Olympics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Simon Whitfield Simon Whitfield Simon St. Quentin Whitfield is an Olympic triathlon champion from Canada.-Biography:Whitfield was born in Kingston, Ontario. As a young boy he played soccer but at age 11 began triathlon, honing his early competitive skills in the Canadian Kids of Steel program. By age 15 he was pursuing... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
1:48:24.02 | 2000 2000 Summer Olympics The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... |
| Women | Emma Snowsill Emma Snowsill Emma Laura Snowsill OAM is an Australian professional triathlete and multiple gold medalist in the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
1:58:27.66 | 2008 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events... |