Youth Olympic Games Triathlons goes this weekend
Christine Ridenour and Brook Powell to represent Canada in the individual races.
A total of 64 athletes representing 42 nations from five continents are set to compete at the first-ever Youth Olympic Games, which will open in Singapore on Saturday August 14th. Among the nations competing, 12 countries have never participated in triathlon in the Olympic Games, demonstrating the growing diversity of the sport among youth across the world.
The number of countries representing each continent are as follows: 16 from Europe, 13 from America, 8 from Asia, 3 from Africa and 2 from Oceania. The 12 countries with athletes racing in Singapore that have never participated in the past three editions of the Olympic Games are: Namibia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, Croatia, Israel, and Slovenia.
The triathlon events at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games will be held in Singapore’s East Coast Park, the largest and most popular of Singapore’s public beaches. The women’s event will take place on the first day of the Games, at 9 am on Sunday August 15th. As the opening event of the games, the winner of the women’s contest will be awarded the first-ever Youth Olympic Games gold medal. The men’s race will take place on the following day, Monday August 16th. Athletes competing in both the men’s and women’s races will complete a sprint-distance triathlon (750-metre swim, 20K bike, 5K run).
A 4 x mixed relay triathlon will take place on Thursday August 19th, marking the first time the format has been featured at a Major Games. Teams will be made up of two women and two men, with each Continental Federation fielding at least one team. Each of the four participants in the relay will compete a 250-metre swim, 7K bike and 1.7K run before tagging a team member to begin the next segment.
Click to see Women’s Start List / Men’s Start List.
Competition Schedule:
- Sunday August 15, 9:00 a.m. (local time – 12 hrs ahead of EST) – Women Final – so actually Sat. Aug. 14th at 9 pm (EST)
- Monday August 16, 9:00 a.m. – Men Final (Sun. Aug. 15 at 9 pm EST)
- Thursday August 19, 9:00 a.m. – Team Triathlon – Mixed Relay (Wed. Aug. 18 at 9 pm EST)
