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 2024, World Triathlon had 170 national member federations.

Triathlon first appeared on the Olympic Programme 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 metres swim, 40 km. cycling, and 10 km. running. At Tokyo 2020, a mixed relay was added to the programme, with the super-sprint distances of 300 metres swim, 6.8 km. cycling, and 2 km. running.

Great Britain tops the medal table in the sport as of 2024. In fact, the top 3 male athletes in Olympic history are all British. Alex Yee and Alistair Brownlee are the only triathletes with two gold medals. Yee also leads the overall medal count, with a total of four medals, followed by Alistair Brownlee’s brother, Jonathan Brownlee, who has won a full set of medals.

On the women’s competition, there is no triathlete with more than one gold medal, but six Olympians have won two or more medals, notably Georgia Taylor-Brown. Just as her compatriot Jonathan Brownlee, she has also won one medal of each color.