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Triathlon Mixed Relay
Two women, two men, four super-sprint triathlons — the fastest, most unpredictable hour in endurance sport.
The format at a glance
4
Athletes per team — 2 women, 2 men
300m
Swim per leg
~7km
Bike per leg
2km
Run per leg
Per-leg distances are representative — exact courses vary by venue (Tokyo 2020: 300 m / 6.8 km / 2 km per athlete).
What is the Triathlon Mixed Relay?
The Triathlon Mixed Relay is triathlon's team event: each nation fields two men and two women, and every athlete races a full super-sprint triathlon — swim, bike, run — before tagging a teammate, who dives straight into their swim. First team across the line after all four legs wins.
Each leg is roughly twenty minutes of flat-out racing, so leads change constantly and nothing is decided until the final run. It became an Olympic event at Tokyo 2020.
Racing at its most thrilling
All four athletes on a team race a super-sprint triathlon - 300 m swim, 6.6 km bike and 1 km run - before tagging off to a teammate. Dramatic dives, flat-out speed and constant lead changes have made the Mixed Relay a fan favourite since the first World Championships in Des Moines in 2009 - and an Olympic medal event since Tokyo 2020.
How the relay works
Each athlete completes a full super-sprint triathlon, then tags the next teammate with a hand touch in the relay zone — and the clock never stops. When the final athlete crosses the line, the race is decided.
Since the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle the running order has been man–woman–man–woman (Tokyo 2020 raced woman-first). Like all elite short-course racing, the bike legs are draft-legal — expect packs, tactics and photo finishes.
Born for the big stage
Great Britain won the format's inaugural Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020; at Paris 2024 it was Germany — Tim Hellwig, Lisa Tertsch, Lasse Lührs and Laura Lindemann — edging the United States and Great Britain in a photo finish.
Between the Games, national teams battle in the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships (with Hamburg a long-standing host) and, since 2018, a Mixed Relay Series run in tandem with the WTCS — racing for world titles, prize money and Olympic qualification.
Where to watch
Stream every World Triathlon Championship Series and Mixed Relay race live and on demand with TriathlonLIVE, and catch international television coverage produced with Infront across the world's biggest sports broadcasters.
Frequently asked questions
Teams have four athletes — two women and two men. Each completes a super-sprint triathlon, then tags the next teammate, who starts with the swim.
Around a 300 m swim, 6–8 km bike and 2 km run per athlete — roughly 20 minutes of racing each — with exact distances varying by course.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where Great Britain won the inaugural gold.
Germany — Tim Hellwig, Lisa Tertsch, Lasse Lührs and Laura Lindemann won gold at Paris 2024.
For the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle: man–woman–man–woman. Tokyo 2020 used woman–man–woman–man.
Twenty minutes, flat out
Catch the next Mixed Relay live — or find a relay near you and build your own team.