A multisport, triathlon, combines swimming, running, and cycling to make one sport overall. It originated in Hawaii in the 1970s. It debuted at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with both men's and women's events. Triathlon is governed by the 1989 formed World Triathlon (WT), which later became the International Triathlon Union (ITU).
The Olympic distance, which consists of 1,500 meters of swimming, 40 kilometers of biking, and 10 kilometers of running, is what the triathletes compete over. Another event of a mixed relay that debuted at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which consisted of 2 km of running, 6.8 km of cycling, and 300 m of swimming, was added for Tokyo 2020.
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The List of Olympic Medalists of Team USA in Triathlon
The all-time Olympic medal table of the champion triathlon NOCs has 16 nations, with the United States ranking fifth and a total of four medals, including one gold. The sport is led by Great Britain with eight medals, including three golds, followed by Switzerland with five medals, including two golds.
The most successful triathletes in Olympic history are the English Brownlee brothers: Jonathan Brownlee completed a set of medals with a gold in the 2020 mixed relay, and Alistair Brownlee, his brother, is the only triathlete to have won two gold medals.
Three athletes—Nicola Spirig Hug of Switzerland, Georgia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain, and Katie Zaferes of the United States—have won three Olympic medals in the women's division.
The list of Olympic medalists for Team USA in triathlon is as follows:
| Year | Event | Name / Team | Medal |
| 2004 | Olympic Distance, Women | Susan Williams | Bronze |
| 2016 | Olympic Distance, Women | Gwen Jorgensen | Gold |
| 2020 | Olympic Distance, Women | Katie Zaferes | Bronze |
| 2020 | Relay, Mixed | Katie Zaferes, Kevin McDowell, Taylor Knibb, Morgan Pearson | Silver |
Team USA won silver in the mixed triathlon relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 14 seconds behind Great Britain. Morgan Pearson, Kevin McDowel, Katie Zaferes, and Knibb Taylor made up the American squad. Each of the four competitors alternated between a 300-meter swim, an 8-kilometer bike ride, and a 2-kilometer run during their leg of the relay. McDowell had the team's fastest time at 20:14.
In the 16-team competition, Great Britain won with a timing of 1:23.41, while France secured the bronze medal, trailing the Americans by nine seconds. Georgia Taylor-Brown's outstanding performance in the swimming leg gave Great Britain a roughly 30-second lead in the third leg, which they held for almost the whole event.
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FAQ's On Olympic Medalists in Triathlon
A. The Olympic triathlon distances are a 1.5 km (0.93 mile) swim, a 40 km (25 mile) cycle, and a 10 km (6.2 mile) run, totaling 51.5 km (32 miles).
A. English Alistair Brownlee holds the record, having won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in 1:45:01.
A. To be eligible for the Olympic triathlon, all athletes must go through a qualifying process that includes the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships, the Olympic Qualification Event, the Continental Qualification, and the Olympic Qualification List.
A. The Paris 2024 Olympic triathlon will take place over two days at the Pont Alexandre III.
A. In an Olympic triathlon mixed relay, all four athletes on a team must finish a 300-meter swim, 6.6-kilometer bike ride, and one-kilometer run.
