Streaming success

High Performance

Do you dream of competing for Canada in the Olympic or Paralympic Games?

Triathlon was added as an Olympic sport in Sydney, Australia, as part of the 2000 Olympic Games. Canada’s Simon Whitfield ran home with the inaugural gold medal setting a high bar for Triathlon Canada’s high performance program.

A big part of our job is to make sure the right systems and supports are in place to allow our high performance athletes to excel in Olympic/Paralympic competition and at the elite international level. Our National Performance Centre’s world-class coaches, sport science staff and training facilities are key to everyone’s success. We are also responsible for talent identification, National Team selection and National Training Camps and clinics.

Triathlon Canada’s National Team
Triathlon Canada’s High Performance Plan
Triathlon Canada’s National Performance Centre

Olympic Stream

Elite

“Elite” collectively refers to all athletes who race in “elite” designated categories. This is inclusive of the following sub-categories:

Junior: elite athletes aged 16-19
U23: elite athletes aged 20-23

Elite competition is determined by overall placement. This means that a U23 athlete could win both the U23 sub-category and the overall elite category in a single competition. Which sub-categories are eligible to compete is dependent on race distance. Elite international competition is available in the super-sprint, sprint, standard and mixed relay events.

Under 23

“U23” is a sub-category of elite triathletes made up of those ages 20-23. Age is always determined as of December 31st of the competition year. International competition is available to these athletes in the super-sprint, sprint, standard and mixed relay events.

Development programs are facilitated by each Provincial Sport Organization which then connect to Triathlon Canada’s high-performance program. U23 athletes should be targeting Triathlon Canada’s National Development Series through their provincial teams.

For more information on how to join Triathlon Canada’s high-performance programs, see the Talent ID section below or the National Performance Centre Academy.

Junior

“Junior” is a sub-category of elite triathletes made up of those ages 16-19. Age is always determined as of December 31st of the competition year. International competition is available to these athletes in the super-sprint, sprint and mixed relay events.

Development programs are facilitated by each Provincial Sport Organization which then connect to Triathlon Canada’s high-performance program. Junior athletes should be targeting Triathlon Canada’s National Development Series through their provincial teams.

For more information on how to join Triathlon Canada’s high-performance programs, see the Talent ID section below or the National Performance Centre Academy.

Olympic Program Policies

All policies are available on the “publications” page of the website.

Click here for Olympic pathway team selection and nominations policies.
Click here for all Triathlon Core policies including our Code of Conduct and high performance Athlete Agreements.

Olympic Program Events

There are two triathlon medal events currently included in the Olympic program.

The Standard Distance Triathlon debuted in Sydney, Australia in 2000. This event consists of a 1500 metre swim, 40-kilometre draft-legal bike, and 10-kilometer run.

The Mixed Relay is a brand-new event that is set to debut in Tokyo in 2021. Teams are made up of two women and two men. Each athlete completes a full super sprint triathlon, with the team’s cumulative time making up the team score. This is a fast-paced and exciting format to watch as athletes race full-out over a 250-300m swim, 5-8km draft-legal bike, and 1.5-2km run.

National Development Series

The National Development Series is made up of identified races selected from within the existing provincial series events with a point system focused towards creating a clear national ranking amongst development athletes.

The Series is designed to facilitate the transition from community events to International Triathlon Union (ITU) racing. This is done by driving accessibility to high-quality racing opportunities that target multi-event options, geographical balance, and points premiums. It will familiarize athletes and coaches with the ITU system through incorporation of ITU-like points allocations, ITU-like ranking, and ITU race formats and course profiles…read more.
Current National Development Series Calendar
National Development Series Season Rankings – 2022 Women
National Development Series Season Rankings – 2022 Men
Understanding the ITU points system

Results;

Caledon 2022:
Caledon Race Results – Men 2022
Caledon Race Results – Women 2022

Gatineau 2022:
Gatineau Race Results – Men 2022
Gatineau Race Results – Women 2022

Magog 2022:
Magog Race Results – Men 2022
Magog Race Results – Women 2022

Edmonton 2022:
Edmonton Race Results – Men 2022
Edmonton Race Results – Women 2022

Paralympic Stream

Elite Para Triathlon

Triathlon Canada has developed one of the top elite para triathlon programs in the world. One of the newest sports added to the Paralympic Games family, para triathlon debuted at the 2016 Rio Games where Canada’s Stefan Daniel celebrated a silver medal.

“Elite Para Triathlon” refers to elite athletes with a valid paratriathlon classification aged 16 and up. Standings are determined by overall placement within each competition category regardless of age.

For more information on paratriathlon click here.

Paralympic Program Policies

All policies are available on the “publications” page of the website.

Click here for Paralympic pathway team selection and nominations policies.
Click here for all Triathlon Core policies including our Code of Conduct and high performance Athlete Agreements.

Paralympic Program Events

Para triathlon is competed over the Sprint Distance at the Paralympic Games, made up of a 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run. There are 6 medal events representing sport classes in para triathlon defined as follows:

PTWC – Wheelchair users (2 subclasses – PTWC1 & PTWC2)
PTS2 – Severe impairments*
PTS3 – Significant impairments*
PTS4 – Moderate impairments*
PTS5 – Mild impairments*
PTVI – Total or partial visual impairments (3 subclasses – PTVI1, PTVI2, & PTVI3)

*athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices for both the bike and run segments

For more information on the various competition categories click here.

Find out more about the High Performance Stream

Pathway

Triathlon Canada’s high performance Olympic and Paralympic Pathway follows a long-term athlete development model. Provincial sport organizations and local clubs are the main drivers for athletes across Canada striving to enter our high performance Pathway. The starting point for all should be with your provincial teams.

Performance Standards

In order to ensure standards are the same across the nation, Triathlon Canada has created performance standards that must be met by all Canadian athletes before they can progress to the next level.

If you are close to meeting the Olympic or Paralympic standards linked below please contact your provincial sport organization or Triathlon Canada’s High Performance Director, Phil Dunne,

Olympic Performance Standards – under review
Paralympic Performance Standards – under review

Talent identification

Talent ID in triathlon involves many inter-connected systems, and generally starts with athlete self-identification or identification by a coach of rising stars through the provincial sport organizations.

Triathlon Canada Gold Medal Profile – Olympic
Triathlon Canada Gold Medal Profile – Paralympic – under review

Results

Want to see how our high-performance athletes and para-athletes are doing on the world stage? Visit the International Triathlon Union results page or visit us on Facebook.