Beijing Olympic

Beijing Olympic Triathlon Event

Third time in history that Triathlon is an Olympic sport, and it increasingly delivers more emotion.

Last night the men’s race was held where the great favorite, the Spanish Javier Gomez, was left off the podium despite arriving just 20 seconds behind the winner -for many the great surprise- the German athlete Jan Frodeno.

The Brazilian Multi distance (manages to stand out in Olympic distance, 70.3 and Ironman) Reinaldo Colucci arrived in 37th place.

A notable like Tim Don did not finish.

The day before yesterday, it was the turn of the women, where the Chilean Bárbara Riveros participated … come on, more than participated; Competed! and he got a decent 25th place and that for the next Olympic Games in London 2012 it will surely be our great medal card.

In women, the favorite was the Portuguese Vannesa Fernandez, but she had to settle for the silver medal (it is not a minor award; in Sydney 2000, the silver medalist Michellie Jones would become the 2006 World Champion in Hawaii). The gold and bronze in Beijing went to the Emma’s from Australia, SnowSill, and Moffat.

In a fascinating finish today in the men’s triathlon, the German Jan Frodeno has become the new Olympic gold medalist. Sydney gold medalist, Simon Whitfield of Canada, took silver, while Athens silver medalist New Zealander Beva Docherty took bronze. 

Today Whitfield and Docherty have become the only triathletes to win multiple medals at the Olympics. 

The favorite before the race, the Spanish Javier Gómez, was left off the podium and had to settle for the fourth position. 

His teammate Ivan Rana finished 5th, his second Olympics performance in the top five.

Gomez, Frodeno, Whitfield, and Docherty entered the stadium together, and as they made the turn late, Whitfield was the first to launch their attack. But Frodeno responded and took the lead to cross the finish line in complete ecstasy. He fell to the ground in front of the finish line in a state of disbelief until silver medalist Whitfield was the first to go and congratulate him.

After the race, Frodeno commented that he had lost a few final sprints earlier in the year and learned from those races. One of the sprints he lost was against Docherty in April at the BG Triathlon World Cup in Tongyeong, South Korea. Docherty joked that he should have thought twice before winning that race.

Beijing 2008 Triathlon Individual Women Results

  • AUS – Emma Snowsill – 1:58:27.66
  • POR – Vanessa Fernandes – 1:59:34.63
  • AUS – Emma Moffatt – 1:59:55.84
  • USA – Laura Bennett – 2:00:21.54
  • JPN – Juri Ide – 2:00:23.77