Swimming, cycling and running. That's the Triathlon in a nutshell making it one of the tougher events at London 2012.
Swimming, cycling and running. That's the Triathlon in a nutshell, with the fact each discipline is completed in succession making it one of the tougher events at London 2012.
The Olympics triathlon consists of a swim over 1,500m, a 40km cycle and a 10km run, with triathletes competing for the fastest overall completion time.
Transition areas are necessary between the swim and bike segments and the bike and running segments, with the areas used to store kit and accessories essential to the triathlete (e.g a bike!).
Time spent in these areas is included in the overall time of the race, they are used as a social HQ prior to the event and will be scattered around Hyde Park, where the triathlon is taking place.
55 men and 55 women will compete in the triathlon, with the event scheduled for Saturday August 4 and Tuesday August 7.
History
There are contrasting views on where the triathlon originated with most agreeing it was formed in France or the USA.
I think it's fair to say triathlon had its beginnings in 1920s France, while modern triathlon developed in the USA in the 1970s.
A race in France in the 1920s-30s called 'Les trois sports', 'La Course des Débrouillards', or 'La course des Touche à Tou' still runs to this day in France near Joinville-le-Pont in Meuland and Poissy.
In 1920 its was reported in France that 'Les Trois Sports' was an event that comprised a 3km run, 12km cycle and a swim across the channel Marne.
Even earlier in France, in 1902, there was a tri-sport event that consisted of running, cycling and canoeing.
However, the first modern triathlon was held at Mission Bay, San Diego, California on September 25, 1974. Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan conceived the idea and 46 people took part.
The triathlon first appeared at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Best Of British
Alistair Brownlee: Great Britain's gold medal hopeful has had a stunning couple of years since finishing 12th at Beijing 2008. The 22-year-old has won 16 major events in the last two years, including the 2009 ITU Triathlon World Championship. Brownlee is currently the fastest triathlete of all time and is a very strong gold medal hope - with younger brother Jonathan potentially his main rival for the gold! Alistair's uncle Simon got him into the sport, though his father was a runner and his mother was a swimmer. His coaches are Malcolm Brown and Jack Maitland. According to his profile on his official website his hobbies are eating and sleeping, perhaps not what you'd expect from a top athlete.
Olympic Greats
Not too much research needed for this category given the event has only taken place at the last three Olympics, but
Simon Whitfield's achievements certainly deserve a mention. The Canadian won gold in the first ever Olympic triathlon in Sydney back in 2000 where during the cycling section of the race he got up from the ground after he and 14 others crashed. He worked his way back into the contest and eventually prevailed in a time of 1:48:24.02, which still stands as an Olympic record. In 2008 he almost won his second gold when bursting into the lead with 200m remaining, only for Jan Frodeno to overtake him at the end.
Ones To Watch
Javier Gomez could be the one to scupper the Brownlees at London 2012. He was favourite to win the 2008 Olympic title in Beijing but suffered a stitch when finishing fourth behind Frodeno. Gomez beat Jonathan Brownlee when winning the Hyde Park Triathlon last July, when Alistair finished an exhausted 10th. The Spaniard was actually born in Switzerland but has lived in Spain since he was three months old.
