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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.
The first
triathlon was held in the southwestern United States city
of San Diego in 1974, in many ways an outgrowth of the
California jogging craze.
The ultimate endurance test, it
requires athletes to excel at three very
different pursuits
- swimming, cycling and running. The sport demands
particularly intense discipline because each area requires a
high-level training schedule.
Triathlon races
are held over four distances, labeled Sprint, Olympic, Long
Course and Ultra. The Olympic triathlon comprises a 1.5
kilometre swim, a 40km bike ride, and a 10km 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 two hours, with
men requiring about 1 hour 50 minutes. The women race on the
opening morning of the Games, followed by the men the next
morning.
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