World Triathlon has today revealed the course maps for the triathlon and paratriathlon events at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, giving fans and competitors a glimpse into how the action might unfold in just over a year's time.
Multiple events are set to take place in France next summer, including the men's and women's Olympic-distance races, the mixed team relay and several paratriathlon races (including categories PTS2 to PTS5, PTVI and PTWC) at the Paralympics a month later.
To suit the needs of all of these categories, World Triathlon and the relevant public authorities, three separate courses have been designed, each one taking in some of the city's famous sights.
All events will begin from a floating pontoon that'll branch off the base of the Pont Alexandre III bridge, where there will also be a spectator stand with capacity for 1,000 people to watch the start, transitions and finish.
The course will take athletes past some of Paris's most famous sights.
The swim takes place in the Seine, after which athletes will take in Le Grand Palais, Le Petit Palais, l’Assemblée nationale, Le Musée d’Orsay, Avenue des Champs-Elysées (with the Arc de Triomphe in their sights), Avenue Montaigne, Quai d’Orsay and Quai Anatole France, as well as Boulevard Saint-Germain on the biking and running phases.
Throughout the route there'll be space for fans to gather and cheer on the athletes, which will be entirely free.
Course map for individual Olympic triathlon events
The men's and women's individual events, won by Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and Flora Duffy (BER) in Tokyo, will take place on 30 (men's) and 31 July (women's) 2024, with both starting at 8am (local time).
There's expected to be 55 male and 55 female triathletes lining up on the start line, with the qualification process currently ongoing.
Being an Olympic-distance race, athletes will first have to complete 1.5km of swimming in the Seine before emerging from the river and making their way to transition. To get there, they'll have to tackle 32 steps from the base of the bridge up to the road.
Once they're safely onto their bikes, the athletes will have a seven-loop bike course to complete, totalling 40km. Judging by the course map, this looks set to be a technical but predominantly flat ride, with an out-and-back segment complete with turnaround point, plus multiple turns of varying angles.
Following that, the athletes will then embark on a four-loop bike course for the final 10km, following part of the bike route they've just been riding on.
Course map for mixed team relay triathlon event
Just a week later, at 8am on 5 August, triathlon fans will be in for a treat once again as athletes line up for the mixed relay triathlon, which proved to be a very popular and exciting event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Eighteen teams are expected to line up for this event, with the first male athlete starting off, followed by the first female, second male and finally ending with the second female.
Each athlete will have to complete a 300m swim in the Seine followed by two laps on the bike totalling 5.8km. The course isn't exactly the same as in the individual events, but it does take in some of the same roads.
By the looks of it, it'll still be a technical affair, including an out-and-back section on the south bank of the river.
To finish, competitors will have to complete two 900m loops (totalling 1.8km), which'll take them over the bridges of Pont Alexandre III and Pont des Invalides.
Course map for paratriathlon events
Almost a month after the mixed relay champions are crowned, all eyes will be returning to Paris for the Paralympic Games, where paratriathletes will be competing on the a very similar course to those at the Olympics.
Roughly 120 athletes across six categories will be racing in total over the 1 and 2 September. Competitors in the PTS2 to PTS5 categories (physical or neurological disability using regular or time trial bikes) will race on 1 September, while the rest will race on 2 September.
Events will once again set off from the floating pontoon at the base of Pont Alexandre III for the 750m swim, before athletes exit to T1 and go via a ramp to begin the five-loop 20km bike course.
They'll then return to a separate transition area to switch from bike to run, where they'll begin the two-loop 5km run course.
Any finish-line excitement will then unfold under the watching eyes of 1,000 spectators at Pont Alexandre III.
All three courses will be tested by athletes at the Olympic test events taking place between 17-20 August later this year.
Top image credit: Getty Images
