One of the reasons World Triathlon eventually prevailed in its hard-won inclusion of the mixed team relay in the Olympic Games was because of the commitment not to increase the total number of triathletes in attendance. Worried about spiralling costs dissuading potential hosts from bidding, the International Olympic Committee capped the overall number of athletes at a Games to 10,500 in 2014. If individual sports like tri wanted to expand their medal pools, the same men and women would be required to double up.
This summer, just as in Tokyo three years ago, triathletes heading for Paris aren’t eligible for the two-man, two-woman team event unless they’re entered into the individual race too. But it’s time to scrap that premise. Not because more triathletes should be allowed to compete, but because the current system is ripe to be manipulated.
This story is from the July 2024 edition of 220 Triathlon.
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This story is from the July 2024 edition of 220 Triathlon.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
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