The triathlon mixed relay made its Olympic Games debut in Tokyo in 2021 as Great Britain thrilled a global audience with a terrific victory, and it is back again for Paris 2024.
The first Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships was held in the United States in 2009 and the discipline has grown in popularity ever since.
The following year the event debuted at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, before the World Championships moved to Hamburg in 2014.
Since then, the German city has hosted the annual event, and in 2016 a huge 250,000-strong crowd turned out to watch the race.
Hamburg – the long-term home of the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships
The event was announced as a new Olympic discipline back in 2017, along with several other mixed-gender events in athletics, swimming, table tennis.
A one-year wait courtesy of the global pandemic has only heightened the expectation. Here’s your guide to what to expect in Paris on August 5, 2024.
How does it work? Format and rules
Between 2003 and 2007, separate triathlons for male and female athletes were held at the World Championships, but the mixed relay format has now taken over as the predominant international event.
The mixed relay teams at the Olympics will be made up of two men and two women, with each individual completing swim, run and bike legs before tagging the next athlete.
The one big change since Tokyo concerns the order the athletes compete. In Japan it was woman-man-woman-man, but since then the format has been changed to man-woman-man-woman.
The super-sprint triathlon each athlete completes consists of a 300m swim, 6.8km bike ride and a 2km run, and will typically last around 20 minutes.
The whole race will usually be concluded in less than 90 minutes, making it a fast-paced and exciting affair.
The mixed relay will be the third and final triathlon race held at the Paris 2024 Games, with the individual events set to take place on Tuesday July 30 and Wednesday July 31.
The athletes (water quality permitting) will swim in the River Seine before transitioning to an iconic course through the streets of the French capital.
Should the water quality be sub-standard on August 5 there is a plan for reserve days. However, if the water quality remains sub-standard again, the race would be changed to duathlon format.
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Who has qualified for the Mixed Relay?
At the time of writing, 16 nations have qualified for the Mixed Relay triathlon at Paris 2024 They are:
Great Britain
France
United States
Spain
New Zealand
Brazil
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Australia
Austria
Portugal
Mexico
Norway
Switzerland
Italy
Mixed relay analysis and picks
We will have all the bases covered for you ahead of the big race in Paris on August 5.
Our guru John Levison will analyse all the leading contenders in the race for gold and settle on his podium selections.
When is the Olympic triathlon mixed relay?
The mixed relay starts at 0800 local Paris time on Monday August 5, 2024 (that is 0700 UK, 0200 Eastern Standard Time or 11pm PST on Sunday August 4 if you are watching on the West Coast.
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