Two of the most energy zapping events of the Olympics games this summer come in the form of the Triathlon and Pentathlon. Both events will be contested over the coming days, which means that it is an ideal opportunity to look at who the main medal hopefuls could be for the huge events.
Men’s Triathlon
The men’s and women’s triathlons have been a part of the Olympic schedule since the 2000 Games in Sydney. The men’s event has been dominated by Team GB in the last two games, with Alistair Brownlee winning gold in both London and Rio. His brother could be the man to beat in this year’s event though, as Jonathan Brownlee looks to finally get his hands on gold.
He finished third in London, before claiming silver behind his brother at the 2016 Games in Rio. Henri Schoeman and Vincent Luis, of South Africa and France, respectively, will also be in the mix, but we are siding with the Brit to finally end his wait to win gold.
Pick: Jonathan Brownlee with BetXchange.
Women’s Triathlon
The women’s triathlon also looks set to be a thrilling battle for gold, with cases able to be made for all of the leading contenders. Flora Duffy will be right in the mix for gold as the event reaches its final stages, as she excels in all three disciplines in the triathlon. The difference-maker from her perspective could come on the bike, as she is more talented than any other female in the competition.
Laura Lindemann and Jess Learmonth could also be in contention for the podium places. However, our preference would be for Georgie Taylor-Brown for Team GB. The reigning world champion won gold in 2020 in Hamburg, after winning bronze at both the 2019 and 2018 World Championships. On her first appearance at the Olympics, she could strike gold.
Pick: Georgie Taylor-Brown with BetXchange.
Men’s Pentathlon
The men’s pentathlon will include five events, which includes show jumping, 200m freestyle swim, pistol shooting, epee fencing and a 3km run. Valentin Belaud and Joseph Choong both won medals in the World Championships in 2019.
Meanwhile, Adam Marosi is the defending world champion, having won the gold earlier this year. However, Aleksander Lesun could be the story of this event, as he looks to defend his Olympic title won in Rio. He has won two world titles during his esteemed career, and could be the one to beat.
Pick: Aleksander Lesun with BetXchange.
Women’s Pentathlon
Chloe Esposito won gold at the Olympics in Rio, and will be back to defend her title. The delay to the Games means that she will be able to participate, as she would have missed the games last year, as she announced that she was expected her first child.
However, Belarusians have been in dominant form in the last two World Championships, and the most likely winner could come from that team. Volha Silkina won gold in the individual event in 2019. However, we have a slight preference for her compatriot Anastasiya Prokopenko. Prokopenko won gold in the relay event in the 2019 World Championships, before claiming individual success earlier this year after accumulating 1353 points.
Pick: Anastasiya Prokopenko with BetXchange.
Triathlon Mixed Relay
The Mixed Relay is a brand new event for the Summer Olympics this year, and could be one of the most engaging. Each team will have two men and two women involved in a relay format. This could be a straight shootout between the French and Team GB. While GB have the more talented individuals, our preference would be for France. The French team have won three World Championship golds, and are a unit that work in complete unison.
