OLYMPIC HISTORY

Triathlon gets its Olympic debut in Sydney and promises to be one of the most spectacular sports. It was named in Sydney's bid documents in 1992, just three years after the first official triathlon world championships and has a following that grows rapidly year by year.

The United States, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain are strong medal contenders but Australia dominates the world rankings among men and women. In Simon Lessing, the world champion, Great Britain has a great prospect for gold.