| Triathlon at the Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Governing body | ITU | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Medalists | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Triathlon had its Summer Olympics debut at the 2000 Games, in Sydney, and has been contested since then. It is governed by the International Triathlon Union.
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History
The 2000 Summer Olympics saw the first appearance of the triathlon. 48 women and 52 men competed in separate triathlons. The distances used were the "international" or "standard" ones, with a 1.5 km (0.93 mi) swim, 40 km (24.85 mi) cycle, and a 10 km (6.21 mi) run. The 2004 triathlon was identical to the first in distance, but the 100-athlete quota was evened between 50 women and 50 men. The quota was further increased to 55 women and 55 men for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Medal table
Nine nations have split the eighteen medals awarded in the triathlon events.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia (AUS) |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 |  New Zealand (NZL) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Canada (CAN) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Germany (GER) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 |  Austria (AUT) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  Portugal (POR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Czech Republic (CZE) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 United States (USA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Qualification
Qualification spots in the triathlon are allotted to National Olympic Committees rather than to individual athletes.
There are five ways for NOCs to earn spots in the triathlon. NOCs can earn a maximum of three spots, though only nine nations may earn that many. Nations beyond that may earn only two spots. If a nation would be the tenth or later to earn a third spot, it loses that spot.
The first five spots go to the winners of the five regional qualifying tournaments. Three more spots go to the top three triathletes of the most recent Triathlon World Championships, though any athlete that won a regional tournament is skipped in that determination. The next 39 places go to the NOCs of those athletes highest in the ITU ranking (again, skipping those athletes that have already qualified in the first two methods). A forty-eighth place is awarded to the host country if it has not already received a spot, or to the next highest ranked athlete if the host country has. The final two places are awarded by the Tripartite Commission.
Competition
The Olympic triathlon is composed of two medal events. One is for men and the other is for women. Both use the same distances of 1.5 km, 40 km, and 10 km. Mass starts are used and drafting is allowed during the cycling phase.
Nations
The following nations have taken part in the triathlon competition.
| Nation | 00 | 04 | 08 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
M | B | - | 2 |
| Australia |
B | B | B | 3 |
| Austria |
M | B | B | 3 |
 Belgium |
W | W | M | 3 |
 Bermuda |
- | M | W | 2 |
 Brazil |
B | B | B | 3 |
| Canada |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Chile |
M | - | W | 2 |
 China |
W | W | B | 3 |
 Colombia |
W | W | - | 2 |
 Costa Rica |
W | - | - | 1 |
| Czech Republic |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Denmark |
B | M | M | 3 |
 Estonia |
- | M | M | 2 |
 France |
B | B | B | 3 |
| Germany |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Great Britain |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Greece |
M | M | F | 3 |
 Hong Kong |
- | M | B | 2 |
 Hungary |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Ireland |
- | - | W | 1 |
 Italy |
B | W | B | 3 |
 Jamaica |
W | - | - | 1 |
 Japan |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Kazakhstan |
M | B | M | 3 |
 Luxembourg |
W | W | B | 3 |
 Mexico |
- | M | B | 2 |
 Netherlands |
B | W | B | 3 |
 Netherlands Antilles |
M | - | - | 1 |
| New Zealand |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Poland |
- | - | B | 1 |
| Portugal |
- | W | B | 2 |
 Russia |
W | B | B | 3 |
 Slovakia |
- | - | M | 1 |
 South Africa |
B | B | W | 3 |
 Spain |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Sweden |
M | - | W | 2 |
| Switzerland |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Syria |
- | - | M | 1 |
 Ukraine |
M | M | B | 3 |
| United States |
B | B | B | 3 |
 Venezuela |
M | M | - | 2 |
 Zimbabwe |
M | - | M | 2 |
| Nations | 34 | 33 | 36 | |
| Year | 00 | 04 | 08 |
Key: M - Men only; W - Women only; B - Both competitions.
Records
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Because of the variability of courses, official Olympic records are not kept for the triathlon.
Simon Whitfeld holds the unofficial record for men, having set the best time in the inaugural triathlon in Sydney. Emma Snowsill's result in Beijing was the best women's result to date.
- Record progression
Current record holders in bold.
| Gender | Olympian | Time | Olympics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Simon Whitfield, Canada | 1:48:24.02 | 2000 |
| Women | Emma Snowsill, Australia | 1:58:27.66 | 2008 |
External links
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