Grab a towel, get your sunscreen, and prepare yourself a bevvie. It’s time to have a little fun with this Olympic qualification business. Set in the majestic Copacabana Beach, 150 elite women and men vie for spots at the Olympics this weekend, while all five paratriathlon sport classes test out the course in preparation for domination at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games.
What’s on the line:
Three elite men and women will book their National Federation a spot at the Olympics if they post the fastest times. But if one of those people already won their Continental Championship qualifying race, then the spot rolls down.
For example, Crisanto Grajales won the 2015 Pan American Games, which served as the ITU Continental Olympic Qualification Event for Pan American National Federations. If he finishes first at the Test Event, athletes who finish second, third and fourth, would then qualify their NOCs for the Olympics. If he finished third, the fourth place athlete would earn its NOC a berth to Rio 2016.
For Paratriathlon, the test event in Rio marks the second opportunity in a year-long campaign to score Paralympic Qualification points. These points will help determine who gets to go down in history as the first paratriathletes to compete in the Paralympic Games and who has to stay home. More here.
How to follow on site:
Triathlon and paratriathlon are FREE to watch on site. So if you are in the area, grab your sandals, pick up a hat and come join us for some fun in the sun. Thousands of beach goers will be treated to the fastest triathletes racing up and down Atlantic Avenue and all over the Copacabana area.
How to follow from home:
Due to rights restrictions there will be no live TV broadcast of the race, but TriathlonLIVE Season Pass holders can watch an hour long highlights show of the event on www.triathlonLIVE.tv (available Thursday August 13). Live coverage which will consist of live timing and social media updates will be available on www.triathlon.org/live . Our media player will feature the best of social media content and updates curated into one easy to follow section.
Follow us on twitter for play by play updates at @triathlonlive. Triathlon.org will be populated with race previews and reviews, as well as photo galleries of each race. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for some behind the scenes shots of this epic weekend.
When to follow: (click on the link for your local times)
Paratriathlon - Saturday August 1
9:30 PT4/ PT2 Men & Women
12:45 PT1 Men & Women
14:15 PT3 Men & Women / PT5 B1 M & W
14:18 PT5 B2/3 Men
14:18 PT5 B2/3 Women
Triathlon - Sunday August 2
Elite women – 9:00am Sunday
Elite men – 12:30pm Sunday