Sport Preview: Triathlon

The Sol 2023 Pacific Games triathlon events, which run from Wednesday 29 November to Friday 1 December, will represent a major milestone for the Pacific Games in a number of aspects.

For the first time in a Pacific Games, the triathlon swim leg is in a pool (normally it is held in open water). The run and bike courses will take place on the roads of Honiara.

Secondly, there will be 19 races over the three days of triathlon competition – more than ever before in a Pacific Games. 

Previous Games have held one triathlon event – a standard distance or super distance triathlon event. 

Sol2023 will feature a super sprint triathlon, an aquathlon event (running and swimming without the bike leg) and, for the first time, a 2×2 mixed relay. The 19 races will include a number of heats because of the pool swim in the super sprint and aquathlon events.

The super sprint triathlon will be run over two days – Wednesday will see the heats and Thursday will see the finals.

A third point of difference is that more than half the technical team is composed of technical officials from the Oceania national federations – three from PNG, two from Fiji, one from Tahiti, one from Australia, one from New Zealand and one from the Northern Mariana Islands, with the balance from Solomon Islands (four).  The diverse team is a culmination of the legacy work that Oceania Triathlon and the Pacific Games have achieved over a number of Games to build up a team of technical officials from the island national federations.

There are 30 medals on offer across four categories in the triathlon events – super sprint triathlon individual (male/female), aquathlon individual (male/female); aquathlon team (calculated on fastest male and female times) and mixed relay.

Last time out at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, Tahiti won the most gold medals across triathlon events (five) and New Caledonia won the most medals overall (nine, but only one gold). Samoa and Fiji also claimed medals.

Triathlon takes place around the streets of Honiara and at the Aquatic Centre pool from 7am on Wednesday.

Pacific Games News Service