Olympic Triathlon Preview – Great Britain for Gold??
GENERAL OVERVIEW
When is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics taking place? The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is taking take place between 23rd July, 2021 and 8th August 2021, although some preliminary events began on 21st July, 2021.
Where is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics taking place? While the vast majority of Olympic action will naturally take place in Tokyo or the surrounding areas, the likes of Yokohama, Saitama, Sendai, Kashima and Sapporo are also hosting events.
Where can I get tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? Many events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are be taking place without spectators, but not all. For full information, your best bet is to head here for the latest information.
What TV channel is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on in the UK? Televised Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for the full breakdown.
Where can I stream the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the UK? Unlike in previous Olympic Games, the Beeb can only show two live events at any one time, which are viewable on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. Eurosport subscribers can stream the action on Eurosport Player, while the biggest offering is available for subscribers of discovery+, the new player in town. For those not inclined, the BBC have a highlights programme at 19:30 every evening.
EVENT OVERVIEW
What time is the Mixed Relay Triathlon taking place? 23:30 on Friday 30th July
Where is the Mixed Relay Triathlon taking place? Odaiba Marine Park
Who is the reigning Olympic champion in the Mixed Relay Triathlon? This is the first time the Mixed Relay Triathlon has ever happened at the Olympics
WHO ARE THE LEADING MEDAL CONTENDERS?
This is the first ever Mixed Relay Triathlon to take place at the Olympic games so to understand the form and the favourites, we must look at the World Championships. France won the 2020 version with the US and Team GB picking up silver and bronze respectively. This time around, it is Great Britain that may fancy their chances and they have a slight tweak to their team from that aforementioned 2020 championships.
Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown both picked up silver in the individual Triathlon and they will form half of the team alongside Jess Learmonth and Rio 2016 silver and London 2012 bronze medalist Jonny Brownlee who replaces Barclay Izzard from the 2020 World Championships bronze medal team.
Overall, in the single Triathlon competitions, Team GB performed the better on a team level but this is a different style of event and it is undoubted that France will remain the favourites for it. The French team have won the last three World Championship gold medals in this event with Cassandre Beaugrand an ever-present in that whilst Leonie Periault has won two of the three; the same goes for the three male members they must choose two of in Dorian Coninx, Vincent Luis and Leo Bergere.
TSZ’S PREDICTION
Team USA and Australia will offer some competition to this event alongside Team GB and France but the latter two look set to be the ones to compete for gold. Great Britain’s good form in the individual events and their slight improvement on the team that achieved bronze in the 2020 World Championships will give them some confidence but it is difficult to look past a French side that have been relentless in this event for the last three editions.
TSZ Tip: FRANCE TO WIN
