Triathlon at the Summer Olympics

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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.

1 History
2 Medal table
3 Qualification
4 Competition
5 Nations
6 Records
7 External links

[edit] History

The 24th Olympic games 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 kilometre swim, 40 kilometre cycle, and a 10 kilometre run. The second triathlon was identical to the first in distance, but the 100-athlete quota was evened between 50 women and 50 men.

[edit] Medal table

Eight nations have split the twelve medals awarded in the triathlon events.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	New Zealand (NZL)	1	1	0	2
2	Switzerland (SUI)	1	0	2	3
3	Austria (AUT)	1	0	0	1
3	Canada (CAN)	1	0	0	1
5	Australia (AUS)	0	2	0	2
6	Germany (GER)	0	1	0	1
7	Czech Republic (CZE)	0	0	1	1
7	United States (USA)	0	0	1	1

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 10km. Mass starts are used and drafting is allowed during the cycling phase.

[edit] Nations

The following nations have taken part in the triathlon competition.

Nation	2000	2004	Years
Argentina	Men only	Both	2
Australia	Both	Both	2
Austria	Men only	Both	2
Belgium	Women only	Women only	2
Bermuda		Men only	1
Brazil	Both	Both	2
Canada	Both	Both	2
Chile	Men only		1
China	Women only	Women only	2
Colombia	Women only	Women only	2
Costa Rica	Women only		1
Czech Republic	Both	Both	2
Denmark	Both	Men only	2
Estonia		Men only	1
France	Both	Both	2
Germany	Both	Both	2
Great Britain	Both	Both	2
Greece	Men only	Men only	2
Hong Kong, China		Men only	1
Hungary	Both	Both	2
Italy	Both	Women only	2
Jamaica	Women only		1
Japan	Both	Both	2
Kazakhstan	Men only	Both	2
Luxembourg	Women only	Women only	2
Mexico		Men only	1
Netherlands	Both	Women only	2
Netherlands Antilles	Men only		1
New Zealand	Both	Both	2
Portugal		Women only	1
Russia	Women only	Both	2
South Africa	Both	Both	2
Spain	Both	Both	2
Sweden	Men only		1
Switzerland	Both	Both	2
Ukraine	Men only	Men only	2
United States	Both	Both	2
Venezuela	Men only	Men only	2
Zimbabwe	Men only		1
Nations	34	33	39
Year	00	04	2