Are you a talented state, national or international level single sport athlete looking for a new challenge? Why not try triathlon.
The Victorian Institute of Sport and Triathlon Australia's High Performance Program are looking for talented athletes for the sport of Triathlon* to work towards achieving medal outcomes at the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games.
About The National Talent Transfer Centre
The National Talent Transfer Centre, facilitated by the Victorian Institute of Sport and in partnership with Triathlon Australia, is aimed at identifying, recruiting and fast tracking athletes whose unique skillsets could translate to success in elite triathlon.
The program supports athletes who have the unique combination of talent, work ethic, and determination that will carry them through the challenging process that leads to winning, or contributing to Triathlon Australia’s ultimate goal of winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.
The National Talent Transfer Centre focuses solely and specifically on world triathlon* racing with the goal of helping specially-identified athletes go from being introduced to the sport of triathlon to being a self-sustained professional triathlete over the course of two years.
The program is highly exclusive, and only a few athletes are selected each year. Graduating program athletes are encouraged to transition into one of Triathlon Australia's supported High Performance Centre Programs currently located in New South Wales and Queensland to continue their journey towards LA and Brisbane.
A Beginners Guide to Elite Triathlon
*Triathlon traditionally combines swimming, cycling and running, where on the bike it is illegal to sit behind someone and ‘draft’ off them gaining an energy saving and speed advantage.
What is “Draft Legal Triathlon”?
In draft-legal racing, athletes are allowed to draft other competitors to reduce wind resistance and save energy. Riders can save as much as 40% of their energy by riding in the slipstream of the rider in front of them. Draft-legal racing is typically faster and more competitive than non-drafting races as athletes can use drafting to conserve energy and make strategic moves during the race. However, they also require a high level of skill and strategy. Athletes must be able to anticipate and react to changes in the pack and make decisions about when to draft and when to break away.
Elite Triathlon Competition, Calendar and Season
Throughout a calendar year, triathlon has an elite series both domestically and internationally that somewhat resembles the world tennis tour. There are qualifying events, satellite events and grand slam events all with points and prize money that is both equal for men and women and these are called Continental Cups, World Cups and World Triathlon Championship Series Events. Information on these events can be found here.
Elite Triathlon Racing Formats
In Elite Olympic level competition, there are a few different race distances that make up the sport for professionals. As of July 1st 2023 these are as follows:
- Sprint Distance (750m swim / 20km bike / 5km run)
- Super Sprint (300m Swim / 7km bike / 2.5km run) NOTE: These distances can fluctuate, and also this typically coincides with a Semi-Finals & Finals Format
- Eliminator (Multiple rounds of Super Sprint Distance where the last athletes are eliminated)
- Arena Games (These events are held indoors where the swim is raced in a pool, the bike is on a bike and bike trainer utilizing an online game called Zwift and the run is on a treadmill).
Triathlon and the Commonwealth Games
Triathlon has been a Commonwealth Sport since the 2002 Manchester Games. The Mixed Team Relay was added for the 2014 Glasgow Games. The Commonwealth Games have two events: Men's and Women's Individual Race and Mixed Relay.
The individual Olympic Distance race is made up of a 1.5km Swim - 40km Bike - 10km Run.
The Mixed Team Relay is a super-sprint triathlon made up of two men and two women where each athlete completes a 300m Swim – 6km Bike- 1.6km Run.
Triathlon and the Olympics
Triathlon has been an Olympic Sport since the 2000 Sydney Games. The Mixed Team Relay was added for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The individual Olympic Distance race is made up of a 1.5km Swim - 40km Bike - 10km Run.
The Mixed Team Relay is a super-sprint triathlon made up of two men and two women (the order for Paris 2024 is Male/Female/Male/Female) where each athlete completes a 300m Swim - 6km Bike - 1.6km Run.
