Rio 2016: Les trois sports – when one discipline is not enough

By MATT JOHNSON

Legs are heavy and burning with the build up of lactic acid, the cumulative effect of an hour and a half of pushing the human body to its absolute extremities.

Yet with the finish line in sight, the lead pack up the ante one last time and sprint, in hope of tearing the finishing tape, in hope of the coveted gold medal being placed around their neck, in hope of it all coming to a close.

It’s brutal to watch, yet it all encapsulates the drama audiences crave from a sporting spectacle.

Welcome, to the sport of the Olympic triathlon.

Since the turn of the millennium, athletes with all-around fitness in the disciplines of swimming, cycling and running have battled courses of varying complexity, from the scorched seaside Athens circuit to the idyllic green valleys just outside Beijing.

But nothing could prepare athletes for the obstacle they may face once race day approaches in Rio.

Recent reports have alleged the triathlon, along with the four other open water sports featured in the Games, will be hosted in the sewage-stricken waters of the Guanabara Bay in spite of pledges to rectify contamination.

As any Olympic triathlon commences with a 1.5 km swim, experts have suggested athletes will be prone to contracting anything from a viral infection to Hepatitis A.

Is it worth the gamble in the ultimate pursuit of gold? The post-race pictures should do all the talking. 

HISTORY

Like many sporting origin stories, the beginnings of triathlon have generally been contested, with the International Triathlon Union (ITU), the chief governing body of the sport, erring towards San Diego as its epicentre.

However, alternative narratives have suggested the sport first rose to prominence in 1920s France under the moniker Les Trois Sports, which initially saw all three disciplines completed in the opposite order to which they are now tackled.

Regardless, from these humble beginnings the sport has developed into an array of events, with the four premier distances of triathlon being the sprint, Olympic, half Ironman (or Ironman 70.3) and the Ironman.

The Olympic distance has remained fixed since the sport was introduced into the Olympic program in the Sydney 2000 Games, with athletes having to complete a 1.5km swim, 40km ride and a 10km run. Winning times generally fall between one and a half to two hours. 

Australia’s women have consistently delivered in the event, having won at least one medal at each Games since triathlon entered the program.

There has been one gold medal in that haul, but a second gold has been within arm’s reach multiple times: Loretta Harrop was overtaken in the dying stages of the 2004 race by Australian-born Austrian Kate Allen, while Erin Densham came two seconds shy of a photo finish for first in London.

The Olympics has also been a platform for a number of triathletes to assert their dominance before going on to greater accomplishments. Most notably, Germany’s Jan Frodeno, who surprised the world by one-upping Spain’s Javier Gomez to win gold in the 2008 Games, has since excelled at longer distances, securing the 2015 Ironman 70.3 and Ironman World Championships, and the Ironman 70.3 world record this year.

KEY ATHLETES – THE WORLD

The Brownlee brothers – Great Britain
Only superlatives can adequately describe the impact Leeds-born Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have had on the sport of triathlon, with Alistair the world champion in 2009 and 2011, and Jonny in 2012.

Alistair continued his astonishing form following his 2011 success by etching out Gomez in a sprint finish in front of his home crowd at the 2012 Games to win gold, while Jonny stood on the lowest step of the dais. This marked the first time two brothers stood on an Olympic podium for an individual sport since 1908. 

After his first 2016 race on the Gold Coast where recovering from surgery he finished a lowly 36^th, Alistair rekindled the form expected of a defending Olympic champion, shutting out both races in his hometown of Leeds and then in Stockholm.

Meanwhile Jonny, renowned for his consistency in reaching the podium – he maintained a streak of 42 consecutive podium finishes between July 2010 and May 2014 – is currently placed third in the ITU World Triathlon Series rankings, a warning of how formidable the pairing will be come race day. 

The Spanish armada
Spain has become a surprise powerhouse nation in triathlon, resulting in no small part from the sheer dominance of the diminutive Gomez. The five-time reigning world champion swept the field in last year’s test event to reaffirm his position as the event favourite, yet the Spaniard pulled out of the event after a cycling accident in July left him with a fractured arm.

Nevertheless, compatriot Mario Mola has made an astonishing ascent up the world rankings since a mediocre 19^th place finish in London four years ago, finishing no lower than third in the World Series Rankings in every year since (and currently leads this years’ standings).

Gwen Jorgensen – United States
How often do you hear a story of a 65-hour per week accountant juggling triathlon training with the eventual hope of making it to the Olympics? Such is the commitment of Jorgensen that it came as no surprise that the 30-year old American holds the longest streak of consecutive World Triathlon Series race wins (12) and two consecutive world triathlon championships.

She continued her dominance in 2015 with a seven-event win streak and is renowned for her running prowess that stacks up against professionals who just pursue that individual discipline. Most are predicting that Jorgensen will be the runaway favourite for this year’s race, so long as she does not suffer another mechanical failure on the bike.

Andrea Hewitt – New Zealand
Hewitt remains one of the ever-present faces in the sport as she ticked over 34 years of age earlier this year. Her consistency remains her biggest trademark, having registered a top 10 finish in every ITU world triathlon event she has competed in since July 2013.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist will also be running in memory of her partner and coach Laurent Vidal, the fifth placegetter at the London 2012 Olympics, who died in 2015 after suffering a heart attack.

 AUSTRALIA’S CHANCES

Like other Olympics before it, Australia’s best chances of snaring a medal in the triathlon are anchored by its women, with Erin Densham and Emma Moffatt representing their country for the third time.

Densham came within a cat’s whisker of bagging gold in London, falling just shy of a photo finish for first between Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig and Sweden’s Lisa Norden, while Moffatt has also enjoyed the taste of bronze previously, having finished third in Beijing.

Ashleigh Gentle comes into Rio as the lone women’s debutant, beating the rest of the Australian women in contention with a silver medal in Yokohama, the final event Australian selectors took into consideration for these Games.

The entire men’s team will be debuting on the Olympic stage, with mixed expectations. Ryan Bailie has this year expanded on his exceptional 2015 campaign,  as he yet to finish outside the top 10 in any event he has classified in.

Another Ryan, Fisher, was a surprise inclusion for the Games, just edging out 2015 under-23 world champion Jake Birthwhistle for the final Olympic discretionary spot. Aaron Royle rounds out the Australian men’s contingent, as the Newcastle-born booked an automatic qualification spot into the Games off the back of his sixth-place finish on the Gold Coast.

PREDICTIONS

It is tricky to bet against the Brownlees replicating their exploits in London, especially considering their main rival, Gomez, will not feature in the race. However, the brothers came into those Games with arguably better form than heading into this Olympiad. If there were any athletes with the capability to stun, the Spanish would be most likely to pull off such a feat.

In the women’s race, Gwen Jorgensen seems a sure chance of sealing the gold medal, save for any technical difficulties. Considering the sheer brilliance Australia’s women have showcased in the triathlon, it would be unsurprising to see the green and gold on the dais, most likely in the form of Australia’s prior bronze medallists Moffatt and Densham.

Other international names in contention include Bermuda’s Flora Duffy and Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins.

THE EVENT

Men's triathlon: Thursday, August 19, 12am AEST
Women's triathlon: Saturday, August 21, 12am AEST