LearnSportsOlympics
HomeMore Sports

Olympics

Olympic GamesAll SportsArticlesQuestionsCan Pro Boxers Compete In The Olympics?Do NBA Players Play In The Olympics?For The 2020 Summer Olympics Did The Us Mens Soccer Team Qualify?How Do Athletes Qualify To Compete In Judo For The Olympics?How Do You Qualify For Shooting In The Olympics?How Do You Qualify To Compete In Tennis For The Olympics?How Does Olympics Betting Work?How Does Scoring Work In The Olympics?How Many Soccer Teams Are In The Olympics?Is Archery In The Olympics?Is Basketball In The 2020 Olympics?Is Karate In The 2024 Summer Olympics?Is Kerri Walsh Going To The 2020 Olympics?Is Shooting An Olympic Sport?Is The Sport Of Judo In The Olympics?Is There Female Boxing In The Olympics?Is Triathlon An Olympic Sport?What Are The Dimensions Of An Olympic Swimming Pool?What Are The Lanes Used For In Olympic Swimming?What Are The Main Distances In A Olympic Triathlon?What Is An Olympic Triathlon?What Is The Age Limit For Shooting In The Olympics?What New Sports Are In The 2020 Olympics?What Shooting Events Are In The Olympics?What Type Of Boats Are Used In The Olympics?What Type Of Karate Is In The Olympics?What are the rules of olympics?What type of fencing is in the Olympics?When Was Fencing Added To The Summer Olympics?When Was Handball Added To The Olympics?Who Won The 2016 Basketball Olympics?Who Won The 2016 Summer Olympics For Fencing?Who Won The Beach Volleyball Olympics 2016?Who invented the Olympics?Why was Baseball Removed From The Olympics?
  1. Home
  2. Olympic Games
  3. What Is An Olympic Triathlon?
PreviousNext

What Is An Olympic Triathlon?

Olympic Triathlon
Pictured above are the three parts of an Olympic Triathlon, which are (from left to right) swimming, bike riding and running.
Event #1Swimming
Event #2Bike Riding
Event #3Running

Table of Contents

Overview

The triathlon is an event included in the Olympic Games, which occur every four years. Founded in 1989 and first introduced to the Olympic slate in the year 2000, the triathlon has become a mainstay that is highly enjoyed by viewers worldwide. Participants are widely regarded as some of the best athletes in the world due to the strength, endurance and speed that is necessary to complete the event.

What Events Are Included in an Olympic Triathlon?

Listed below are the three athletic competitions that make up an Olympic Triathlon. Participants must compete in all three sports, and there are no resting periods in between each portion of the event.

  1. Swimming: the first event is conducted in a body of water, and swimmers race to the finish which is positioned 1.5 kilometers (slightly less than a mile) away from the starting point
  2. Bike Riding: after completing the swim, athletes climb atop their bicycles and complete a 40 kilometer course (approximately 25 miles)
  3. Run: the final part requires athletes to run 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) on foot, with the first-place finisher becoming the winner of the entire triathlon

Keys to Success in an Olympic Triathlon

The most important yet underestimated aspect of an Olympic Triathlon is minimizing transition time. Since the event features several athletes in a race against time, transitions from one leg to another must be seamless. If an athlete finishes the swimming event in great time, yet fails to mount their bike and begin the next part of the race in a speedy manner, it becomes extremely difficult to win the entire triathlon.

PreviousNext
PreviousNext