The Sport · Programs
Elite
The pinnacle of swim, bike, run: the World Triathlon Championship Series, World Cups and the race for Olympic gold.
The championship distances
1.5km
Open-water swim
40km
Draft-legal bike
10km
Run to the finish
Standard (Olympic) distance shown — sprint racing halves it: 750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run.
What is elite triathlon?
Elite triathlon is the top competitive tier of the sport, raced by professional athletes representing their National Federations. Short-course elite racing is draft-legal — athletes can ride in packs — which makes tactics as decisive as raw speed.
The season centres on the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS): a series of races around the globe culminating in a Final, where the overall World Triathlon Champions are crowned. Championship races are held over two distances — the standard (“Olympic”) distance, decided in around two hours of racing, and the sprint distance, roughly half of it, decided in about one.
One Athlete, three Sports!
Why compete in one sport, when you could compete in three at once! Triathlon is an exciting multi-discipline sport: at elite level, a continuous race over a 1500m swim, 40km bike and 10km run.
Racing for the world title
The WTCS is the premier series in triathlon — athletes score points across the season's rounds, and the world title is decided at the Final. Beneath it sits a global pathway: World Triathlon Cups for the next tier of international racing, and Continental Cups and Championships where the journey begins.
Since 2018, a Mixed Relay Series has run in tandem with the WTCS, where national teams race for prize money, world titles and Olympic qualification.
The elite pathway
The World Triathlon Championship Series is where the world title is won: a season of standard- and sprint-distance races across the globe, closing with the WTCS Final where the year's World Champions are crowned.
Watch the world's best
Stream every elite World Triathlon Championship Series race — and a huge video archive — with the TriathlonLIVE all-access pass. World Triathlon's live coverage runs with up to 20 camera positions at each race, including boat, motorcycle and helicopter cameras, alongside the world's largest public and sports broadcasters.
Frequently asked questions
Two championship distances: standard/Olympic (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) and sprint (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run).
Through the World Triathlon Championship Series — athletes score points across the season's rounds, and the title is decided at the season Final.
Via the development pathway: Continental Cups, then World Triathlon Cups, gaining experience and ranking points to earn WTCS starts.
Yes — elite short-course World Triathlon racing permits drafting on the bike, which is why tactics play such a big role.
On TriathlonLIVE, World Triathlon's streaming platform, alongside partner broadcasters worldwide.
On the World Triathlon rankings pages.
Follow every race
Stream the Championship Series live and track the world rankings all season long.