About Triathlon
While taekwondo and triathlon both debuted as the newest Olympic sports at the Sydney 2000 Games, triathlon was literally the newest sport. Although the origins of taekwondo date back thousands of years, the triathlon dates back to 1978.
Triathlon Basics
Triathlon races are held over four distances, labelled Spring, Olympic, Long Course and Ultra. The Olympic triathlon comprises a 1,5 kilometer swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride and a 10 kilometer run. After a mass start, the race remains continuous, with no stop between the three legs. Changeovers, then, are vital to race strategy. Women are expected to finish in just over hours, with men requiring about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The women race on the opening morning of the Games, followed by the men the next morning.