Triathlon

Triathlon is a relatively new sport that consists of running, swimming, and cycling. Its origins date to the 1970s, when the first major triathlon, the Ironman Race, was held in Hawai’i. Triathlon is governed by World Triathlon (WT), which changed its name from the International Triathlon Union in October 2020. It was created in 1989, in Avignon, and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 3 September 1994, at the IOC Session in Paris. As of 2022, World Triathlon has 168 national member federations.

Triathlon first appeared on the Olympic Program at the 2000 Olympic Games, with two events – one for men and one for women. The Olympic triathletes race over what was already known as the Olympic Distance – 1,500 m swim, 40 km cycling, and 10 km running. At Tokyo 2020, a mixed relay was added, with the super-sprint distances of 300 m swim, 6.8 km cycling and 2 km running.

Great Britain tops the medal table in the sport. The Brownlee brothers have been the most successful triathletes in Olympic history: Alistair Brownlee is the only triathlete with two gold medals, while his brother Jonathan Brownlee completed a full set of medals with gold in the 2020 mixed relay. On the women’s competition, three athletes have won three Olympic medals: Nicola Spirig Hug (SUI), Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), and Katie Zaferes (USA).