The Paris 2024 triathlon consists of three events – swimming, cycling and running – starting at the stunning Pont Alexandre III, a bridge spanning the Seine connecting the Champs Elysee quarter with those of Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. It’s considered one of the most complete and thorough tests of athletic ability.
So what is Olympic triathlon and what’s the story behind the event? In fact it can be traced back to a suburb of southeastern Paris at the start of the twentieth century and took a number of twists and turns to make it to the Olympics. Read on for all the facts in our triathlon Olympics guide.
A Brief History of the Triathlon
Mission Bay in San Diego, the location of the first triathlon (Credit: Miniphotoboi via Getty Images)
The triathlon as we know it today evolved from various multi-sport events that began in France in the early 1900s. Initially known as ‘Le Trois Sports,’ these early events included running, cycling, and canoeing. Over time, they evolved into the modern triathlon, though it lacked a unified set of rules and remained on the fringes of global athletics until the 1970s.
The modern triathlon was developed in 1974 by Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan of the San Diego Track Club. They devised a three-sport event and named it the triathlon – tri from the Greek word for ‘three’ and athlon from the Greek for ‘competition’ or ‘prize.’ Interestingly, Johnstone and Shanahan claimed to be unaware of the early French events and believed their idea was entirely original.
Their first event – the Mission Bay Triathlon – featured a 4.8km run, an 8km cycle, and a swim from Fiesta Island to the mainland, followed by a barefoot run and another swim. It lasted much longer than anticipated, with cars lining the riverbanks and turning on their headlights to help competitors see. This marked the beginning of the modern triathlon.
It took a while for the triathlon to get to Europe, and the first event was held in the Czech city of Pilsen in August 1980. Events in the Netherlands, Belgium and West Germany quickly followed and throughout the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of triathlon events were organised all over the world.
In September 1994, triathlon was added to the official Olympic athletics programme for Sydney 2000.
The Olympic Games: Triathlon Makes Its Debut
Triathletes finishing the 1.5km swim (Credit: GlobalStock via Getty Images)
Men’s and women’s triathlon at the Olympics made its debut at Sydney 2000, while the mixed relay was first contested at the delayed Tokyo 2020, held in 2021 due to coronavirus.
The first gold medals were won by Simon Whitfield of Canada and Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland. Great Britain is the most successful nation to date with a total of eight Olympic medals, up to and including Tokyo 2020.
In the men’s individual event, Alistair Brownlee won back-to-back golds at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and his brother Jonathan won bronze in 2012 and silver four years later. Jonathan also won gold at the 2020 Games in the mixed relay alongside Alex Yee, Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown.
The Events & The Rules
Triathletes running (Credit: Pavel1964 via Getty Images)
The standard Olympic triathlon comprises a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run. There are no heats, and in the two individual races the winner is the first person to cross the finish line. Because each triathlon course is different, and the conditions in which each event is run are variable, time-based records aren’t kept. The one single fact recorded is the person who crosses the finish line first.
The Olympic rules for triathlon cover elements such as equipment specifications, visible race numbers, transitions from water to bike and from bike to running – helmets, mounting and dismounting, shoes – and external assistance.
The Mixed Relay
The Olympic Games triathlon mixed relay event made its first appearance at Tokyo 2020 with Great Britain taking gold, the USA taking silver and France taking bronze. Teams consist of two men and two women and each competitor must complete a 300m swim, an 8km bike ride and a 2km run in a standard relay format.
The Routes
Triathletes will cycle along the iconic Champs-Elysées (Credit: Jerome Delaunay via Getty Images)
The routes for the triathlon at the Olympics in Paris showcase some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Swimming
The triathlon starts with a 1.5 km swim in the River Seine. The athletes begin from a floating pontoon beneath the Pont Alexandre III bridge, completing two laps (a 910m first lap and a 590m second lap) before transitioning to the cycling leg.
Cycling
The 40km cycling course consists of seven laps, each 5.715 km long. Cyclists will pass by notable landmarks including the Avenue Winston Churchill, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, and the Champs-Élysées. The route will also cross the Seine via the Pont des Invalides, head along the Quai d’Orsay, and return via the Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Quai Anatole France.
Running
The final leg is a 10km run, divided into four laps of 2.5km each. This route takes athletes through the heart of Paris, also crossing the Seine via the Pont des Invalides, and finishing on the Pont Alexandre III bridge.
Olympic Triathlon on Discovery+
All-important triathlon transition (Credit: w-ings via Getty Images)
We hope you enjoyed reading this triathlon Olympics guide and don’t forget, you can catch all the action from Paris 2024 on discovery+!
