Monday 25 March signals triathlon’s first concrete qualification milestone on the path to Paris 2024, with the confirmation of nine teams going to the Games. Each of these National Federation is thus automatically guaranteed two men and two women for this year’s Olympics: a foregone conclusion for some, a sigh of relief for others.
The 2022 and 2023 Mixed Relay World Championships were the first auto-qualifiers. France, as host nation, was also guaranteed a team.
Deadline day rules state that the top six countries in the ranking will guarantee two men and two women for that particular National Olympic Committee, those places rolling down for those already qualified. As such, the following NINE teams will be on the start line on 5 August, to be joined by the TOP TWO from the Huatulco Mixed Relay Qualifier on 17 May, plus any remaining countries with 2 men and 2 women qualified through the individual ranking when that closes on 27 May.
ALREADY CONFIRMED:
TEAM FRANCE (HOSTS AND 2022 WORLD CHAMPIONS IN MONTREAL)
TEAM GREAT BRITAIN (SECOND TO FRANCE IN MONTREAL)
TEAM GERMANY (2023 WORLD CHAMPIONS)
CONFIRMED ON DEADLINE DAY:
TEAM NEW ZEALAND
TEAM AUSTRALIA
TEAM SWITZERLAND
TEAM USA
TEAM ITALY
TEAM PORTUGAL
The Teams that have already secured their spot will not be allowed to compete at the Huatulco Mixed Relay Olympic Qualifier. Behind them, there are still some big-name squads waiting in the wings. The likes of Spain, Canada, Belgium, Brazil are all likely to qualify at least the minimum two men and two women required to start on 5 August, while Teams South Africa, Japan, Austria, Mexico, Norway, Hungary, Netherlands and Denmark are among those for whom a podium in Huatulco could be the deciding factor.
Be sure to add 17 May, 7:15am local time (TBC) to your calendar as the chase to become only the second Olympic Triathlon Mixed Relay Champions heats up in Huatulco, full coverage on TriathlonLive.tv.
