With so much at stake at the Olympics, and the difference between glory and heartache often coming down to a handful of seconds or less, penalties could have a major impact on the triathlon medal tables, if any are dished out in Paris.
You might think that the elites racing at the very pinnacle of the sport would be so well versed in the rules, that getting a penalty would be extremely unlikely. It’s actually far easier to accidentally make an infringement and get slapped by the rulebook than you might think.
Take the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 for example. The last major Games for many of the triathlon’s powerhouse nations, the build-up to the men’s race was largely around the showdown between England’s Alex Yee and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde.
It was boiling up beautifully until… You’ve guessed it. A penalty. And a highly debatable one at that.
For Wilde picked up a 10-second time sanction for unclipping his bike helmet too early in T2, leaving Yee clear to surge to the line for gold while the Kiwi served his penalty. Those two are again the big favourites for Olympic gold in Paris, having chased home Kristian Blummenfelt three years ago in Tokyo. And they’ll certainly be looking to avoid any costly mistakes that could leave them watching their gold medal hopes quite literally run away while they wait in the penalty box.
Ahead of the triathlon showdown between the world’s best short course triathletes in Paris. We dive into what the rules – and the penalties for breaking them – are in Olympic distance triathlon. Plus, take a look back at how penalty drama has shaken things up in races gone by.
What are the rules and penalties in triathlon?
The precise rules, and the penalties for infringing them, in triathlon varies depending on the distance being raced. For example, in Olympic distance triathlon you’ll notice the athletes are allowed to draft (riding closely behind someone else) and benefit from the slipstream. Whereas in Ironman distance racing, athletes have to leave a gap of at least 12-metres (sometimes more). We’d probably be here until far beyond the end of the Paris 2024 Olympics if we detailed every single nuance of the various rules in different scenarios. But in the context of the Olympic games, here are some of the key rules for short course triathlon which could have an impact on how the podium shapes up in Paris.
When are penalties served and can athletes protest?
In Olympic distance triathlon, penalties are mainly served during the run at a designated penalty box. Sometimes penalties for infringements such as a false start before the swim will be served in transition 1. Failure to serve a penalty will result in disqualification. Athletes are allowed to appeal/protest against penalties – but only if they choose not to serve the penalty during the race. If they serve the penalty, they have ‘accepted it’ and therefore lose the right to protest. If an athlete believes a penalty is unfounded, they can choose not to serve it and finish the race. They will then be disqualified, but can protest against the disqualification and the penalty. It is down to the competition jury to decide if the protest is dismissed and the disqualification is confirmed. Or if the protest is upheld, the time penalty is removed and the disqualification is reversed.
Previous triathlon penalty drama
A 15 second time penalty might not sound like a lot of time. But for athletes racing in the Olympics, the pace is so fast, it would feel like a lifetime. And while the rules might be clear, we’ve seen plenty of athletes accidentally fall foul in races gone by – finding themselves with an agonising wait in the penalty box as the rest of the field zooms up the road.
A look back at some of the penalty drama in triathlon history reminds us just how much a simple mistake such as dropped goggles or sunglasses blown in the wind can impact the way the race shapes up.
No one immune from penalties – even the likes of Brownlee and Flora Duffy
Penalties can happen to anyone. Remember Jonny Brownlee’s T1 mount line penalty at the London 2012 Olympics? The British triathlon legend, who won’t be racing in Paris, received a 15 second penalty for getting on his bike just a fraction too early in T1. Brownlee was able to make it back to the pointy end of the race to take the bronze medal, but missed out on the silver by just 20 seconds…
Reigning Olympic champion Flora Duffy, in her award-laden career had never picked up a penalty. But WTCS Hamburg in 2022 changed that. She received a penalty for equipment left outside of her storage box in T1 – her goggles to be precise.
A penalty doesn’t always cost the victory
In Flora Duffy’s case at WTCS Hamburg 2022, she was able to serve the penalty on the run and still have enough in reserve to power past none other that Britain’s Beth Potter and take the win. Showing that a penalty doesn’t always have to cost an athlete their race.
And home hope Cassandre Beaugrand, who alongside Beth Potter is one of the two big favourites to take Duffy’s crown in Paris, is no stranger to overcoming an unfortunate penalty to come out on top.
That happened to her at WTCS Leeds in 2022 when she was penalised for getting on her bike before the mount line out of T1.
Again though, like Duffy, she was able to serve that in sight of the finish line and sprint to the victory, watch the clip below.
Keeping a close eye
Lisa Tertsch of Germany, who has split Beaugrand and Potter twice recently and is another medal contender, has been hit in the past with a penalty for being overly aggressive in the swim.
All of which underlines the myriad of reasons for athletes to be called to account. And we had multiple helmet violations at the latest WTCS event in Hamburg this month so keep a close eye on transitions in Paris – the referees certainly will be.
‘Passing the buck’ – how Mixed Team Relay mishaps can see athletes serving someone else’s time penalty
Getting a penalty is never ideal. But there’s added jeopardy in the Mixed Team Relay where any penalties picked up are usually served later down the line by a teammate!
That’s what happened in the Mixed Relay World Championships in Montreal in 2022 when Sam Dickinson was (very harshly, given the wind blew them off his bike before the race even started) penalised for his sunglasses being outside his storage box.
That left Georgia Taylor-Brown to serve Sam’s penalty during her leg. The pair are poised to be back in the GB relay team in the French capital on 5 August, hopefully without any penalty drama to contend with.
Triathlete gets disqualified for speeding!
But at least Olympic-distance (also called Standard distance) racing is draft-legal on the bike as that opens up a whole new can of worms once we step up in triathlon distances.
The RaceRanger technology has recently been introduced for the biggest middle and full-distance races to both warn athletes when they are getting too close to their rivals – and also assist the referees.
And there are many other weird and ‘wonderful’ ways that athletes’ chances can be scuppered.
Just look back to last year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship when the hugely popular Lionel Sanders was hit with a first-ever time penalty for crossing “an imaginary” centre line on an unmarked road.
That provoked an incredible reaction – and unlike shorter-distance racing where the penalties tend to be a handful of seconds, that was a race-ending five minutes.
This season has also seen two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee falling foul of the officials at T100 Singapore.
And how about the triathlete – none other than Formula 1 champ Jenson Button – who was disqualified for speeding on the bike?
Yes, you read that right and it happened at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside back in 2017 and you can read more about it here.
With so much on the line at the Olympic Games Triathlon in Paris, every second will count. So while we hope we won’t see any mishaps or mistakes leaving athletes with costly time penalties – it could certainly shake things up if any penalties are dished out!
