In 2016, Henri Schoeman became the first South African to win an Olympic triathlon medal. Four years on, his preparations for Tokyo 2020 may have taken a hit but, after his own brush with a different strain of coronavirus at the tail end of last year, the Rio 2016 bronze medallist has embraced lockdown with enthusiasm.

Relive Thursday 18 August 2016 in Rio on olympic.org. The day was marked by the “triple double” of Usain Bolt, who won the 200m, the Brownlee brothers’ family double in the triathlon, Argentina’s first-ever hockey victory and the end of the beach volleyball, sailing and canoe/kayak sprint competitions

Double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee is delighted that the mixed team relay – a “fast and furious” event – will be contested at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The London 2012 and Rio 2016  gold medallist is certain Great Britain will enter a highly competitive quartet.

In the magnificent setting of Fort Copacabana, the Rio 2016 triathlon competitions produced some brilliant displays of all-round athleticism. Just as at London 2012, Alistair Brownlee won gold in the men’s event and was joined on the podium once again by his younger sibling Jonathan. In the women’s event, favourite Gwen Jorgensen of the USA outraced the Swiss reigning champion Nicola Spirig.

Michael Phelps led an all-star cast of multiple medal winners at Rio 2016, with Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, Jason Kenny, Katinka Hosszu, Ryan Murphy and Danuta Kozak also featuring high on the bill, along with a clutch of other distinguished Olympians.

Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee won the Olympic triathlon in superb style on 18 August, outrunning brother Jonny to become the first competitor to win consecutive gold medals in the event.

On 2 August, most of the world’s top triathletes convened in Brazil for the 2015 Rio de Janeiro ITU World Olympic qualification event, which took place in and around the city’s iconic Copacabana Beach.