International Olympic Committee : News

Triathlon: World series final results

10/21/2012 7:15:23 AM

Results from the final round of the men's world triathlon series in Auckland on Sunday:

1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 2hr 00min 29 sec

2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 2:00:31

3. Sven Riederer (SUI) 2:01:18

Final world series standings:

1. Brownlee 4,935 points, 2. Gomez 4,845, 3. Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS) 3,822.

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Photo finish and Brownlee brothers thrill - London 2012 - Triathlon

8/9/2012 3:05:00 PM

With Great Britain brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee the favourites to take gold and silver in the men's race, some thought they may try to cross the line together.

But the women beat them to it, with Nicola Spirig of Switzerland and Sweden's Lisa Norden breaking the tape at the same time in the closest finish in Olympic Triathlon history.

Officials needed a photo to split the pair, who were given exactly the same time. Spirig climbed to the top step of the podium to collect the gold medal, her first Olympic title at her third Games.

Norden took silver, while Australia's Erin Densham won bronze three years after she feared her life was in danger because of heart problems.

USA's Sarah Groff had performed a near miracle to get back to the leaders on the final kilometre of the run but she was left in the most frustrating position of all, fourth.

The finish may have been a shock but the protagonists were not, with Spirig and Densham both having won two World Series races this season while Norden is a frequent visitor to the podium.

It was a similar story in the men's Triathlon, where Alistair Brownlee put to bed the much-repeated statistic that a favourite had never won Olympic gold.

The 24-year-old has dominated the sport with a series of phenomenal performances over the last three years, and it was no different in London.

Brownlee's time for the 10km run was only 1:37 slower than the time his countryman Mo Farah ran to win the 10,000m in the Olympic Stadium.

The only slight surprise was that his younger brother did not manage silver, the 22-year-old instead taking bronze.

He was not helped by a 15-second penalty for jumping on his bike too early but admitted he would not have caught silver medallist Javier Gomez anyway.

The Spaniard is a two-time world champion but had no answer to the speed of Alistair Brownlee, although his performance gave him hope that the world and Olympic champion is within reach.

The 29-year-old said: 'I was closer but when he is fit he is really hard to beat. You need to do everything perfect but experience tells me there is no-one unbeatable.'

Excitement builds for London 2012 as triathlon, rowing and sailing events take place

8/8/2011 12:58:00 PM

Preparations for London 2012 have stepped up another gear, with major international sporting events taking place at the triathlon, rowing and sailing venues, as excitement continues to build ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.

London’s Hyde Park played host to the world’s leading triathletes from 6-7 August as part of the ITU World Championship Series, while Eton’s Dorney Lake staged the Junior World Rowing Championships from 3-7 August. Elsewhere, the 2011 Weymouth and Portland International Regatta has brought elite sailors from around the world together to compete in 10 Olympic classes in Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour, which will host the sailing events during the Games next year.

All three events were being used by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) to test crucial aspects of its Games-time operations. The events are also helping to build excitement among the general public by giving them the chance to enjoy the experience of watching world-class sport in Olympic venues.

Britain’s Alistair Brownlee triumphed in the men’s triathlon in Hyde Park and was impressed by the enthusiasm of the crowd as he crossed the finish line. The 2009 world champion is already looking forward to a similar response during the Games next year.

"It was one of the best receptions I've ever had and the whole event was a great experience," said Brownlee. "The run down the last stretch was incredible. I'm sure there'll be 10 times as many people in 2012."
The 14-day Weymouth and Portland International Regatta has seen 460 sailors descend on the Olympic venue in order to gain experience of the course ahead of London 2012. Finn competitor Pieter Jan Postma, from the Netherlands, is one of those who is pleased to have the opportunity to compete in Weymouth before the Games next year.

“It is good that we have a test event here to learn the conditions,” said Postma. “It's good to get familiar and know the surroundings.”

The Junior World Rowing Championships, at Dorney Lake near Windsor, saw almost 600 young rowing stars from 48 countries compete at the Olympic venue, giving LOCOG the chance to test important aspects of its Games-time operations, such as the sporting field of play and the results, timing and scoring systems.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see our work come to fruition and to see elite athletes competing on the lake,” said LOCOG’s Director of Sport, Debbie Jevans. “We can see how it will be in 2012. There is a view of Windsor Castle in the background, so it looks fantastic. It's one of the best rowing facilities in the world.”

Singapore 2010 adopts new sport formats

8/12/2010 3:39:00 PM

The first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore will feature all 26 sports currently on the programme of the London 2012 Olympic Games. What will differ in some cases are the disciplines and format, such as 3 on 3 street basketball, a mixed gender relay in the swimming pool, a medley relay on the track or events in which athletes from different National Olympic Committees compete on the same team. Read on to see what your favourite sports will consist of in Singapore...

Aquatics (diving and swimming)

Aquatics comprises diving and swimming. There will be two diving events for both men and women, 3m springboard and 10m platform. Swimming events include freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and medley, both individual and relay. As a first, a mixed gender event for 4 x 100m freestyle relay and 4 x 100m medley relay is included.

Archery

Archery will feature individual men, women and mixed team competitions. The distance that athletes will be shooting is 70m.

Athletics

Athletics comprises a total 36 events for both men and women. The track events will include 1000m and 3000m races as well as a 2000m steeplechase and a medley relay. There will be eight field events (four jumps and four throws).

Badminton

Badminton will feature men’s and women’s singles events in Singapore.

Basketball

Basketball 3 on 3 will be played at the YOG. There will be two teams of three players on court at any one time. This fast-paced game is played on a half court, with one basketball hoop. It includes two periods of five minutes each. The winner is the first team to score 33 points, or the team that is leading the game at the end of the fifteen minutes of play.

Boxing

Boxing will feature men’s events. There will be 11 different weight categories, ranging from 48kg to the 91kg+ division.

Canoe-Kayak

Canoe-Kayak will feature four events for men and two for women. Both will race
in head-to-head sprints and obstacle slaloms in the kayak category. The men will also compete in the same events in canoes.

Cycling

The Cycling competition will involve teams. Each team consists of three men and one woman. The three men are required to compete in one discipline each (BMX, MTB and Time Trial), while the woman has to compete in all three disciplines. All male riders also have to compete in the Road Race.

Equestrian

In Equestrian, only the jumping events will take place (team and individual). The Organising Committee will provide the horses, which will be assigned to riders by draw. For the team event, there will be six teams representing each FEI regional zone.

Fencing

Fencing will feature individual competitions in the foil, epée and sabre for men and women, and a mixed team competition.

Football

Football will consist of a six-team competition, representing all continents, for both men and women.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is split into artistic and rhythmic, as in the Olympic Games. The artistic competition will feature eight individual men’s events and six individual women’s events. The rhythmic competition consists of two events – individual and team – for women.

Handball

Handball is a six-team tournament, representing all continents, for men and for women.

Hockey

Hockey is the same as football and handball – a six-team competition, representing all continents for both men and women.

Judo

There are a total of eight weight categories for both men and women in the Judo competition. There is also a mixed team event.

Modern Pentathlon

The Modern Pentathlon competition consists of four of the five modern pentathlon disciplines: fencing, swimming, running and shooting. The fifth discipline, riding, will not be competed at Singapore 2010. The run-shoot format will be competed. In the Combined event, laser shooting is being used for the first time.

Rowing

Both the men and women will compete in two events in Rowing – single sculls and pairs.

Sailing

The Sailing competition comprises four events, with men and women sailing in either the one person dinghy or the windsurfing.

Shooting

In Shooting, the men and women will compete in both air rifle and air pistol.

Table Tennis

Table tennis will consist of men’s singles, women’s singles and a mixed team competition.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo will see athletes competing in five weight categories per gender.

Tennis

There will be both men’s singles and doubles and women’s singles and doubles in the Tennis tournament.

Triathlon

The Triathlon competition format for individual competitions includes a 750m swim in open water, a 20km cycle ride and a 5km run. The 4 x mixed team relay competition includes a 250m swim in open water, a 7km cycle ride and a 1.7km run.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a six-team men’s and women’s competition.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting sees men competing in six weight categories, while women will compete in five weight categories. The combined results of the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk will produce the champion of each weight category.

Wrestling

The Wrestling competition will see men compete in Greco-Roman (five weight categories) and freestyle (five weight categories) and women in freestyle (four weight categories).