Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Triathlon at the Games of the XXX Olympiad | |
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Venue | Hyde Park |
Dates | 4 August 2012, 7 August 2012 |
Competitors | 110 from 37 nations |
Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics | ||
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Events | ||
men | women | |
The triathlon events at the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in Hyde Park in London, United Kingdom, with the women's triathlon held on 4 August and the men's on 7 August.[1] 110 triathletes from 39 countries competed with 55 men and 55 women competing.[1] The races were held over the "international distance" (also called "Olympic distance") and consisted of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) swimming, 43 kilometres (27 mi) road cycling, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) road running.[2]
The men's race was held on 7 August 2012.
Great Britain topped the medal tally with one gold medal and one bronze medal, both in the men's race. Switzerland became the first nation to win two gold medals in Olympic triathlon and Australia won its fifth medal, the most in Olympic triathlon history to that point.[12]
Qualification
Qualification for the race was restricted to three athletes per
For all qualification places the qualified NOC had the right to select any athlete who, by 31 May 2012, were in the top 140 of the ITU Olympic Qualification List, in the top 140 of the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Series or in the top 140 of the ITU Points List.[13]
Course
The events were contested in Hyde Park in Central London, a park opened in 1637.[1][14] The 1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi) swim started on the north side of The Serpentine and the course was just one lap.[2] After competing in the London leg of the 2011 ITU World Championship Series on the Olympic course Laura Bennett said that the swim was the hardest part of the course: "The swim was the most difficult, it was hard to get away from everyone."[2] Erin Densham said that: "The swim is going to play a big role. They have said before you can’t win the race in the swim but you can definitely lose it. Honestly there is no knowing how it's going to go but it's going to be hard and fast."
After the swim there was then a 200 metres (220 yd) transition zone in front of the main grandstand.[2] The competitors then started a 43-kilometre (27 mi) bike leg consisting of seven 6.137-kilometre (3.813 mi) laps.[2] The cyclists first rode down Serpentine Road towards West Carriage Drive before changing direction and cycling to Hyde Park Corner. The course then quickly turned left towards Hyde Park to go past Buckingham Palace on Constitution Hill.[2] After passing Buckingham Palace, the cyclists turned and went back towards Hyde Park and eventually crossed through the transition area before starting the next lap.[2]
The final discipline was the run, four-laps of a 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) loop around The Serpentine on flat ground.[2]
The course was designed to be as spectator-friendly as possible. The athletes passed through the main grandstand area 12 times. The triathlon events were two of the few events with free viewing points.[2]
Medal summary
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men's individual |
Alistair Brownlee Great Britain |
1:46:25 | Javier Gómez Spain |
1:46:36 | 1:46:56 | |
Women's individual |
Nicola Spirig Switzerland |
1:59:48 | Lisa Nordén Sweden |
1:59:48 | Erin Densham Australia |
1:59:50 |
Event summary
The men's triathlon took place on 7 August 2012, featuring 55 men from 32 countries.
The women's triathlon took place on 4 August 2012, featuring 55 women from 31 countries.
Medal table
Great Britain was the only nation to win two medals in the triathlon events at the 2012 Summer Olympics with one gold medal and one bronze medal, both in the men's race. Switzerland became the first nation to win a second gold medal in Olympic triathlon after Spirig followed Brigitte McMahon (a gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics) in becoming an Olympic champion. Australia won its fifth Olympic medal with Densham's bronze which is more than any other nation to that point. Sweden, Spain and Great Britain all won their first Olympic triathlon medal.[12]
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
2 | Switzerland (SUI) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
3 | Spain (ESP) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
5 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Totals (5 entries) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
References
- ^ a b c "Triathlon at the 2012 London Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sherwood, Merryn (3 July 2012). "The London 2012 Olympic Games course preview". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Triathlon at the 2012 London Summer Games: Men's Olympic Distance". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ a b c "Triathlon at the 2012 London Summer Games: Men's Olympic Distance 1.5 kilometres Swimming". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Olympics triathlon: Alistair Brownlee wins Britain's 19th gold". BBC News. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ a b c "Triathlon at the 2012 London Summer Games: Women's Olympic Distance". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Ingle, Sean (5 August 2012). "London 2012: Nicola Spirig wins triathlon just ahead of Lisa Norden". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Women's Olympic Distance Phase 2 Summary (swim + transition 1 + cycle)". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ a b Reid, Andrew (4 August 2012). "Densham's dramatic bronze". Australian Olympic Committee. London. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Mihoces, Gary (4 August 2012). "Switzerland's Spirig edges Swede Norden for triathlon gold". USA Today. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "2012 London Olympic Games : Aug 04 2012 : Elite Women : Results". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Triathlon". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Qualification system". Triathlon. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Hyde Park History and Architecture". The Royal Parks. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Wilson, Jeremey (7 August 2012). "Alistair Brownlee wins gold for Britain in men's triathlon as brother Jonny takes bronze at London 2012 Olympic Games". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- Olympics. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon; Kirkup, James (7 August 2012). "Brothers in arms: Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee rewrite Olympic history with gold and bronze in triathalon [sic]". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ Williams, Ollie (4 August 2012). "Olympics triathlon: Helen Jenkins finishes fifth behind Nicola Spirig". BBC Sport. Hyde Park. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Greene, Erin (4 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympic Games: Spirig Sprints to First Olympic Gold". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "Nicola Spirig wins in photo finish". ESPN. Associated Press. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ Downes, Steven (4 August 2012). "Triathlon: Spirig wins gold in photo finish". Reuters. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ "Erin Densham". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "Crowd roar Helen Jenkins to fifth place at the London 2012 Olympic Games". British Triathlon. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ a b "CAS rejects Sweden appeal for gold medal upgrade after Olympic women's triathlon photo finish". Winnipeg Free Press. Associated Press. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
External links
Media related to Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics at Wikimedia Commons
- Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. London2012.com. at the UK Government Web Archive (archived 28 February 2013)
- Official results book – Triathlon. London2012.com. at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 May 2013)
- Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics at SR/Olympics (archived)