What is the new triathlon mixed relay?

On 31 July, the triathlon mixed relay is making its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 and the world will be able to watch one of the Games' most furious events.

Ten teams will compete in the race with each one comprising of four athletes: two men and two women.

The race will go by in a flash - less than 90 minutes. It's fast, it's tactical and it's exhausting.

What is involved in mixed triathlon?

Each athlete will have to swim for 300m, cycle for 6.8km and run for 2km before tapping the hand of their teammate to pass the relay.

The time of a race is usually less than 90 minutes, with each triathlete's effort generally lasting around 20 minutes.

A different kind of pressure is also felt when taking part in the event, as France's 2018 and 2020 World Champion Léonie Périault explained to Tokyo 2020.

"The team spirit is awesome. I feel a lot of adrenaline in mixed relay. We don’t have it when we run alone. I’m not competing alone, I want to go beyond the limit for my teammates."

"This little bit of fear, not to succeed and make the whole team fail... it's a thrill!"

In triathlon, the only relay that is competed on an international level is the mixed version, and its success has paved the way for it to be a staple on the international sporting calendar.

When did the mixed relay in triathlon start?

This relatively new discipline began in 2009 when the first World Championships were held, and its level of popularity has only grown.

A year later, the discipline made its debut at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

In 2014, the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships were held in Hamburg for the first time. Ever since, the German city has played host to the annual event. In 2016, some 250,000 spectators lined the streets.

It will make its Summer Olympic Games debut at Tokyo 2020 and the world will be watching.

What’s new about the discipline?

Beyond bringing more equality to the most gender-balanced Games in history, the triathlon mixed relay will bring "unity between male and female athletes," according to Iñaki Arenal, the head coach of the Spanish triathlon mixed relay team, who spoke to Tokyo 2020.

In his view, the event will showcase "different tactics due to the great variability the competition has through its segments, and above all, it is a very spectacular event because it is really fast."

To compensate for the different tactics involved, training strategies have been modified to fit in with the many challenges the new sport presents.

Arenal takes that into account when planning training sessions at the national training camp.

"Obviously for the mixed relay the athletes need to be stronger and faster, so we have to change the pace of the training sessions in order to improve the power than the endurance," he said.

Athletes have to increase their power as the race distance is significantly shorter compared to an Olympic Triathlon, which involves a 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run.

For the athletes, the event is a good opportunity for redemption - the ability for one final shot at winning a medal.

If they miss out on the podium in the individual event, they still have the chance to take home a medal for their country.

In order for the athletes to give it their all tactics play a significant part. Despite the order of athletes being fixed - female, male, female, male - the decision on where athlete fills these slots is crucial.

"We never know the composition, neither the order of the athlete, long before the race," said Périault.

"And this order has changed a lot. We always gather together, and each athlete gives his opinion and we define the order."

Who to watch?

Mixed relay has been dominated by France over the past years and the last event that took place in 2020 in Hamburg, they secured their third consecutive world title - their fourth in six years.

They are expected to be among the favourites for Tokyo 2020, and already have experience of winning in the city, having previously won the Olympic test event in 2019.

For Périault - who finished fifth in the Tokyo 2020 triathlon competition - Team France is dominating because of their homogeneity and unity.

"We don’t have any weak points," she said simply.

"The team changes a lot but we always manage to perform. We have a very homogeneous team. We also know each other very well, and that is a strong point of Team France. We have a nice ambiance and we are all united."

With Alex Yee - silver medallist in the Tokyo 2020 men's triathlon event - Great Britain will be among those targeting the top spot on the podium.

Team GB finished third in the 2020 World Championship, but with Alex Yee - silver medallist in Tokyo - Jonny Brownlee, Vicky Holland, Jess Learmonth and Olympic silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown also in the team for Tokyo, they will be among the favourites for the podium.

Of course, Team USA will also be one to watch as they finished second in the 2017 and 2020 World Championships, as well as third in 2018.

It promises to be a fascinating and frantic race to the finish.