- The Commonwealth Games is one of the biggest events
on the calendar for many of the pro triathletes.
And we're just moments away from the 2018 games
over on the Gold Coast in Australia.
You may be wondering what it's all about,
what's involved and who is racing.
Well here is everything you need to know
about the Commonwealth Games.
(futuristic computer sounds)
The Commonwealth Games is an international,
multi-sport event involving atletes
from the Commonwealth of Nations.
Essentially, a collection of countries
and nations that are linked
in some way to Great Britain.
And it takes part every four years
sandwiched between the Summer Olympic Games.
And the first official Commonwealth Games
took place in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada
when they were called the British Empire Games.
And then fast-forward to 2018
and the games will be taking place
on the Gold Coast in Australia
between the 4th and 15th of April,
where there'll be over 6,600 athletes
and officials from over 70 nations taking part
in 18 different sports and seven para-sports.
So triathlon officially joined the Commonwealth Games
in 2002 at the Manchester games in England.
And it's since appeared in three other games
with 2010 being an exception
due to the water quality at the Delhi games.
And previously, athletes have competed over
the Olympic or standard distance,
but for the first time ever,
athletes are gonna be competing over
the fast and furious sprint distance
with a 750 metre swim, a 20 kilometre bike,
a five kilometre run, making it
really exciting to watch, but also,
it's gonna allow the athletes
a little more time to recover before
the mixed team relays two days later.
Another first for these games is the
debut of para-triathlon.
We have the men and women of the P.T.W.C. category
battling it out for the first ever Commonwealth title.
Now in this category, they us a recumbent
hand-cycle on the bike course and
then a wheelchair on the run course.
And with the addition of events like this,
it gives the 2018 Commonwealth Games
the largest para-sport programme with up to
300 para-athletes and 38 medal events.
On Thursday, the 5th of April,
the men and women will be setting off
from the Southport Broadwater Parklands
on the Gold Coast, with the women
having the honour of being the first
medal of the Commonwealth Games.
Now they're gonna be racing over a one-lap,
non-wetsuit swim course, which they've
got a few currents to deal with
and then on to the bike course.
They've got a technical, four-lap course
making it very spectator-friendly before hitting
a flat and fast, two-lap run course.
And the women's event is gonna be kicking it off
at 9:30 a.m. local time and then
the men's event at 1:00 p.m.
And then two days later, on Saturday the 7th of April,
we have the Para-triathlon event at 9:30 a.m.
and then the mixed team relay at 1:00 p.m.
Now, it's gonna be a tough one to make any
predictions on, particularly given the
sprint distance format and that we have
four of the six Olympic Games medalists
from Rio on the start list.
But did you know that at all three of the
previous Commonwealth Games triathlon events,
a single country has taken the win
in the both the men and the women's events?
In 2002, it was Canada's year with
Carol Montgomery and Simon Whitfield taking the honours.
And then in 2006, it was Australia
with Emma Snowsill and Brad Kahlefeldt.
And then in 2014, it was Team England
with Jodie Stimpson and Alistair Brownlee.
Now for the Mixed Team Relay and this was
first introduced to the Commonwealth Games
in 2014 in Scotland.
Teams comprise of two men and two women
racing over a much shorter course.
This year, it's over a one-lap, 250m swim,
a two-lap, 7 kilometre bike and then a one-lap,
one and a half kilometre run.
Typically, this event can last anywhere between
sixty minutes to ninety minutes, depending on the course,
with athletes each completing
a mini triathlon before tagging
and passing over to their team mates.
The debut at the 2014 Games was won by
Team England, but what actually makes this event
so exciting is that it takes far more than just
one successful athlete.
Actually, a team of lesser-known athletes
could collectively be quite a force
and very successful.
Well, it's almost time and it's gonna be
the first major Games Triathlon Championship event
held at over the sprint distance.
It's a big move, but I reckon it's gonna make the races
even closer and even more exciting
so make sure you tune in.
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And to find out what all these different
race distances mean and all the other funny words
used in the Triathlon world,
you can see our Triathlon
jargon buster video by clicking down here.
And to see our unwritten rules of Triathlon video,
just click down here.