A new 50p coin celebrating the sport of triathlon has been launched today by the Royal Mint. The coin, which features silhouettes of the three activities that make up the sport, all speeding towards the end, is one of 29 designs that represent the 29 Olympic and Paralympic sports to be contested during London 2012.
The Triathlon themed 50p was designed by Londoner Sarah Harvey. Sarah chose to design the triathlon coin after hearing her colleagues at work telling her about the competition which inspired her to design the triathlon coin because she wanted to tackle the challenge of representing three sports onto the coin.
Commenting on her win, Sarah said, “I was delighted to find out I had won, especially as I had worked on this project in my own time in the evenings not long after returning back to work from maternity leave – so time was precious and thankfully spent well!”
Dave Knight, the Royal Mint’s Director of Commemorative Coin, said: “Every one of the winners is making history. Their coins will become treasured mementos of the biggest sporting event to happen on UK shores for over half a century and we hope will encourage a new generation of collectors.
“Every coin captures the spirit, excitement and passion of the Olympics and Paralympics. In isolation each is a work of art, together they are an inspirational portrait of a sporting phenomenon. The Royal Mint is immensely proud to be part of London 2012 and we’re thrilled that this competition has enabled the general public to play a part too.”
Her Triathlon creation is one in a series of 29 officially licensed London 2012 50p commemorative coins, designed by members of the public as lasting mementos of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Many designs had to be assessed and approved by the official Olympic sporting Association to ensure an accurate depiction of the sport was portrayed before the coin was struck.
Sarah’s Triathlon design will be found on millions of 50p coins in people's change from this month, when the Royal Mint’s London 2012 sports collection goes into general circulation. So look out in your change!
Alternatively a pristine uncirculated version of the Triathlon coin is available to buy. Visit www.royalmint.com/sportscollection or call 0845 60 88 222 to purchase.
