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History & Olympics
Ancient origins
 Triathlon is guaranteed one of the most spectacular backdrops for an Olympic debut in Games history; Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. The women will race on the opening morning of the Games, followed by the men the next morning.
Although the sport is technically just 27 years old - competitions dating back to California in 1973 before the Hawaiian Ironman challenge, which is regarded as the sport's true origin in 1978 - its individual components are, of course, ancient: swimming, cycling, running.
The fathers of triathlon are regarded as being Jack Johnstone, a university swimmer who could run and cycle, too, and took part in one of the original triathlons in San Diego in 1974, Don Shanahan, and Dave Pain, whose "The Dave Pain Birthday Biathlon" - a 2.8 kilometres run and 200 to 300 metres swim provided the prototype for triathlon. All three men came together to stage the Mission Bay Triathlon, a 6-mile run, 5-mile cycling and 500-yard swim. The race attracted 46 competitors, including the man who finished 35rd, John Collins, a US navy officer then stationed in Hawaii.
Collins enjoyed himself so much that he decided it would be a good idea to combine Hawaii's Waikiki Roughwater Swim, Around-Oahu Bike Race and Honolulu Marathon as one event; that meant an exhausting schedule involving a 3.85 kilometres open water swim, a 179 kilometres cycle and a 42 kilometres run. The Ironman challenge was born.
The newly formed International Triathlon Union staged its inaugural world championships in 1989 in a format to be used in Sydney; a 1.5 kilometres swim, 40 kilometres cycle and 10 kilometres run.
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