2008 Beijing Olympic Games Preview - Triathlon

2008 Beijing Olympic Games Preview - Triathlon

The triathlon made its debut as an Olympic sport in the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia with Canada's Simon Whitfield taking the inaugural event in a time of 1:48:24.02, more than 13 seconds faster than Stephan Vuckovic of Germany. On the women's side, Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland bested Australian Michellie Jones by a scant 2.03 seconds.

Four years later in Athens, Greece, a pair of New Zealanders battled to the wire on the men's side as Hamish Carter held off countrymate Bevan Docherty by 7.87 seconds to grab the gold. Austria's Kate Allen sent Australia home with a second consecutive women's silver medal as she defeated Loretta Harrop by 6.72 seconds.

The American men have not fared too well in this event as Hunter Kemper's ninth-place mark in 2004 is by far the highest recorded finish. Andy Potts ended up 22nd, while Victor Plata crossed the wire in 27th place. Kemper however, did improve immensely from 2000 when he finished in the 17th position. The other two American males that year ran 25th and 40th.

The United States women have had much greater success as Susan Williams grabbed a bronze medal in 2004 despite crashing early in the cycling portion of the race. Barb Lindquist finished ninth, while Sheila Taormina, running in her second Olympic Triathlon, came in 23rd place. Four years earlier, Taormina finished in the sixth slot, two back of Joanne Ziger and seven ahead of Jennifer Gutierrez.

According to the official International Triathlon Union, the preliminary list of contestants will be 55 men and 55 women from 37 different countries. The women will apply their trade on day 10 of the Olympics, while the men get down to business on day 11. Only five countries have qualified the maximum amount of six representatives (three men and three women) - Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany and the United States.

The triathlon is made up of three parts: a 1,500 meter swim, followed by 40 kilometers of cycling, and ending with a 10 kilometer run.

One of the U.S. competitors on the male side, Jarrod Shoemaker when asked what his strengths and weaknesses are, he answered, "I'm mainly a runner, so that comes easier to me. If it comes down to a run, it's better for me. I've had to work harder at the other two legs."

Shoemaker became the first U.S. male to qualify when he defeated both Hunter Kemper and Andy Potts in the Beijing World Cup back in September. Matthew Reed was the next to be named when he won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama back in April.

The final spot was determined in the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, Iowa back on June 22. Kemper ran sixth besting Potts, who finished eighth, so Hunter Kemper becomes the first and only American to race in all three Olympic games.

On the women's side, Julie Swail Ertal, who already has an Olympic silver medal as a member of the 2000 Water Polo team, will be looking for medal number two as she is one of the three American females that qualified for the Beijing games. The 35-year-old won the Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa and ran seventh in the recently completed Hy-Vee Triathlon.

Laura Bennett, who qualified for the Olympics with a third place finish at the 2007 ITU Beijing World Cup, ran fourth in Des Moines, besting the other nine U.S. women in the race. The Florida native was also the '06 and '07 USAT Female triathlete of the Year.

Sarah Haskins became the last member of the U.S. women's team after she finished sixth in the Hy-Vee Triathlon, three slots ahead of Sarah Groff, who failed to make the cut.

The U.S. women's team is ranked first in the standings after Sarah Haskins' second-place finish in the recently completed world championships in Vancouver. New Zealand is second with Germany third.

The American men pale in comparison to their female counterparts, as the United States is ranked fifth, with New Zealand number one followed by Germany and Great Britain.