Lake Jakabaring, Palembang, set the scene for the triathlon mixed team relay event today.

The conditions harmonised with the nature of racing across the triathlon relay, hot and explosive, to close out the final day of competition at the 2018 Asian Games.

The racing was reckless, furious and all teams were motivated to represent their country and battle it out across the testing race format.

13 national teams, consisting of four team members, lined up for triathlon combat.

The Japanese triathlon team enter the mixed relay competition as fixed favourites for the gold medal and made an immediate impact on the race.

Yuka Sato was the first team member to enter the course and set the pace across all three disciplines. The second member of the team was, 2018 Asian Games gold medallist in the elite men’s individual event, Jumpei Furuya.

The tag component of the mixed relay is thrilling, for spectators, teams and fans, as it is the moment that the team member “passes the baton” in the relay format. Team tactics and strategy come into play and it appears somewhat chaotic and adrenaline driven.

Furuya showed off his firing form, blitzed across the courses and handed the race over to elite women’s 2018 gold medallist, Yuko Takahashi, who charged away in exceptional form and was certainly a crowd favourite.

2014 Asian Games gold medallist Yuichi Hosoda was the final team member to represent team Japan in today’s mixed relay. Hosoda produced a scorching swim, bike and run combination to bring team Japan across the finish line in first place and claim gold in the prestigious mixed team relay event of the 2018 Asian Games.

Team Korea, featuring Yun-Jung Jang, Ji Hwan Kim, Ye Jin Park and Min Ho Heo, lay it down across the course and were awarded with the silver medal. The four triathletes celebrated the triumph with immense emotion on the finish line.

Hong Kong showcased remarkable team method and amazing form, and were presented with the bronze medal. The bronze medallists included Balilee Brown, Leong Tim Law, Yan Yin Hilda Choi and Tsz To Wong.

China and Chinese Taipei teams crossed the finish line in fourth and fifth place respectively while the Philippines team claimed sixth positon today.

Today’s mixed relay closed the curtain on the competition schedule for the Asian Games and triathlon was well represented across 3-days of the program. Triumph, success and feats were celebrated across the 17-competing nations.

Official results can be found online
Race coverage via Twitter | @triathlonlive

Distances covered in the Mixed Team Relay by each member:
Swim: 300m
Bike : 6.7km
Run: 1.95km (1st, 2nd and 3rd Athlete) | 1.78km (4th Athlete)

Photo credit: Delly Carr | ITU Media