Triathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics

In its sixth edition in Olympic Games the triathlon program was expanded to include a third event, the mixed relay. This was considered to be extremely attractive for spectators for its ultra-short individual legs. The race starts were scheduled early in the morning at 0630 and 0730 respectively for the mixed relay due to the expected heat later in the day.

The competitions took place at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, a picturesque recreation area on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay with a breathtaking view of the spectacular Rainbow Bridge. The individual races consisted of a two-lap swim that totaled 1.5km, a bike race over 8 laps of 5 km, with 90 degree turns and bends, and finally a 10 km run over four laps with only minimal elevation change.

The mixed relay saw two men and two women per nation in distances of 300 metres swim, 2 laps of a 3.4 km bike course, and 2 laps of a 1 km run each to complete the race. There were 55 participants eligible for the individual races, based on the World Triathlon Individual Qualification Ranking with a maximum of three places per nation. The host Japan got two places without qualifying. A total of 38 nations were represented in the three events.

In the mixed relay event 18 teams were to participate with the same athletes from individual races. The order was fixed, so the women started in positions one and three and the men in positions two and four.

No former Olympic Champions were present, but some silver and bronze medallists did compete in the men’s field. Jonathan Brownlee, the younger brother of two-time winner Alistair Brownlee, tried to complete his medal set with gold after bronze and silver in the last games. Henri Schoeman and Javier Gómez were past their peak and not considered favorites.

The women’s starting line-up included the 2012 champion and 2016 runner-up Nicola Spirig Hug as well as the Rio bronze medallist Vicky Holland. The individual races were won by two experienced triathletes who, however, had never captured a big event before, the Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt and Flora Duffy from Bermuda. Great Britain won the inaugural mixed relay.