2021 Olympics Fan Guide: Everything you need to know about triathlon

What is a triathlon, exactly? Here’s what you need to know about this “sport of sports” ahead of the Tokyo 2021 OIympics.

Triathlon will feature three events at Tokyo 2021: the men’s and women’s individual races, and, for the first time in Olympic competition, a mixed relay.

Here’s what you need to know about this “sport of sports” ahead of the 2021 OIympics.

Olympic Triathlon: When is it?

To start with, for American sports fans, here’s when to watch the triathlon events at Tokyo 2021 (all in USA Eastern Time).

Men’s race: Sunday, July 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET

Women’s race: Monday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m. ET

Mixed relay: Friday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET

2021 Olympics: The elevator pitch for triathlon

Invented in the early 1970s by the San Diego Track Club as an alternative workout for runners, triathlon made its Olympic debut at the Sydney 2000 Games and is now a full-blown sport of its own. From short “give it a try” races to Ironman distances and everything in between, there are hundreds of events all around the world each year.

At the Olympic level, triathletes swim 1,500 m, bike 40 km then run 10 km. In between each discipline is what triathletes often refer to as their “fourth sport” – the transition. It’s an all-out, chaotic blitz where athletes must change equipment as fast as possible.

Essentially, an Olympic triathlon tests an athlete’s endurance, technical capabilities and tactics across three sports. More than anything, it measures their willingness to hurt. Often, a race that takes nearly two hours will come down to a sprint finish.

In Tokyo, there will be an additional set of medals available to triathletes, as 19 countries will take the start line for the first-ever Olympic triathlon mixed relay event. Designed to be an even faster pace with lots of lead changes, the mixed relay is sure to be a fan favorite in Tokyo. Each country will have two women and two men competing, and each athlete must complete a 300 m swim, 8 km bike ride and 2 km run before tagging off to a teammate. France is the favorite based on the past few years, but expect a frantic race to the finish line!

2021 Olympics: Triathletes to know

Many of triathlon’s biggest names will be competing at the 2021 Olympics.

On the men’s side, the top three contenders are Spain’s Mario Mola, France’s Vincent Luis and Norway’s Kristian Blummenfeldt. Mola sits atop the world rankings currently and was a top-three overall World Triathlon Championship Series finisher for seven straight years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Luis is the two-time reigning World Champion, and Blummenfeldt currently sits third in the world rankings.

Also in contention for a medal are Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk, Australia’s Jacob Birtwhistle, and Mola’s compatriot Fernando Alarza. Do not count out Great Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee or Spain’s Javier Gomez Noya – more on them below.

In women’s triathlon, it’s often a showdown between the Americans, the Brits and the Aussies, with a few other big names vying for a spot on the podium.

Team USA is headlined by 2019 World Champion Katie Zaferes, who is one of the most consistent triathletes on the World Triathlon Series circuit. Her younger teammate, Taylor Knibb, already has a series win under her belt in 2021 and has shown a remarkable ability to break away from the pack.

Meanwhile, Great Britain is fielding Rio 2016 bronze medalist, Vicky Holland, alongside Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown – all three are frequent podium finishers.

Bermuda’s Flora Duffy was almost unstoppable on the World Triathlon Series circuit in 2017 before being hampered by injuries for a couple of years, but she’s found her form again recently. Aussie Ashleigh Gentle can outrun almost anyone but will need a strong swim to be in the front pack. Lastly, the Netherlands’ Rachel Klamer and Canada’s Joanna Brown are two dark horses to watch out for.

2021 Olympics: Triathlon rivalries

A special rivalry to note is the one between Great Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee and Spain’s Javier Gomez Noya. The pair have been amongst the sport’s most decorated leaders for over a decade, and both podiumed in London 2012 behind Jonathan’s older brother, Alastair Brownlee. The Brownlee brothers then went 1-2 at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Gomez and (Jonny) Brownlee are now far from the youngest guys in the field, but they’re experienced and know what it takes to shine under the spotlight of the Olympic Games. With Alastair failing to qualify this time around, the two-time reigning Olympic Champion will not be there to defend his titles.

Instead, both Javier Gomez and Jonathan Brownlee are looking to round out their storied careers with a win in Tokyo.