Triathlon at the Summer Olympics
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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.
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[edit] History
The 24th Olympic games 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 kilometre swim, 40 kilometre cycle, and a 10 kilometre run. The second triathlon was identical to the first in distance, but the 100-athlete quota was evened between 50 women and 50 men.
[edit] Medal table
Eight nations have split the twelve medals awarded in the triathlon events.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Zealand (NZL) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 |  Austria (AUT) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Canada (CAN) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 |  Australia (AUS) |
0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 |  Germany (GER) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  Czech Republic (CZE) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 United States (USA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
[edit] Qualification
Qualification spots in the triathlon are allotted to National Olympic Committees 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.
[edit] 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 10km. Mass starts are used and drafting is allowed during the cycling phase.
[edit] Nations
The following nations have taken part in the triathlon competition.
| Nation | 00 | 04 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | M | B | 2 |
| Australia | B | B | 2 |
| Austria | M | B | 2 |
| Belgium | W | W | 2 |
| Bermuda | - | M | 1 |
| Brazil | B | B | 2 |
| Canada | B | B | 2 |
| Chile | M | - | 1 |
| China | W | W | 2 |
| Colombia | W | W | 2 |
| Costa Rica | W | - | 1 |
| Czech Republic | B | B | 2 |
| Denmark | B | M | 2 |
| Estonia | - | M | 1 |
| France | B | B | 2 |
| Germany | B | B | 2 |
| Great Britain | B | B | 2 |
| Greece | M | M | 2 |
| Hong Kong, China | - | M | 1 |
| Hungary | B | B | 2 |
| Italy | B | W | 2 |
| Jamaica | W | - | 1 |
| Japan | B | B | 2 |
| Kazakhstan | M | B | 2 |
| Luxembourg | W | W | 2 |
| Mexico | - | M | 1 |
| Netherlands | B | W | 2 |
| Netherlands Antilles | M | - | 1 |
| New Zealand | B | B | 2 |
| Portugal | - | W | 1 |
| Russia | W | B | 2 |
| South Africa | B | B | 2 |
| Spain | B | B | 2 |
| Sweden | M | - | 1 |
| Switzerland | B | B | 2 |
| Ukraine | M | M | 2 |
| United States | B | B | 2 |
| Venezuela | M | M | 2 |
| Zimbabwe | M | - | 1 |
| Nations | 34 | 33 | |
| Year | 00 | 04 |
Key: M - Men only; W - Women only; B - Both competitions.
[edit] Records
Because of the variability of courses, official Olympic records are not kept for the triathlon.
The course in Athens was more difficult than that in Sydney, so the unofficial records are still those of the first race.
- Men: Simon Whitfield, Canada - 1:48:24.02, 2000
- Women: Brigitte McMahon, Switzerland - 2:00:40.52, 2000
[edit] External links
| Sports at the Olympic Games | |
|---|---|
| Summer sports |
Archery • Athletics • Badminton • Baseball • Basketball • Boxing • Canoeing • Cycling • Diving • Equestrian • Fencing • Football • Gymnastics • Handball • Hockey • Judo • Modern pentathlon • Rowing • Sailing • Shooting • Softball • Swimming • Synchronized swimming • Table tennis • Taekwondo • Tennis • Triathlon • Volleyball • Water polo • Weightlifting • Wrestling |
| Winter sports |
Alpine skiing • Biathlon • Bobsleigh • Cross‑country skiing • Curling • Figure skating • Freestyle skiing • Ice hockey • Luge • Nordic combined • Short track speed skating • Skeleton • Ski jumping • Snowboarding • Speed skating |
| Past sports |
Basque pelota • Cricket • Croquet • Golf • Jeu de paume • Lacrosse • Polo • Rackets • Roque • Rugby union • Tug of war • Water motorsports |
| Triathlon at the Summer Olympics |  |
|---|---|
| 2000 • 2004 • 2008 See also: List of Olympic medalists in triathlon |
