Paris Olympics: What to know and who to watch during the triathlon competition

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FILE - Flora Duffy of Bermuda competes in the women’s individual triathlon at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, Friday, July 29, 2022. The reigning Olympic champion had contemplated retirement because of a knee injury. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)

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FILE - Alex Yee of Britain runs as he competes during the mixed relay triathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 31, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. The silver medalist in Tokyo three years ago won a test event on the Paris course last August. He is a former 10,000-meter runner on the track. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

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FILE - Taylor Knibb, of the United States, rides in the women’s elite category of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, July 27, 2018. Knibb, an Olympic triathlete, won the women’s time trial at the U.S. road cycling championships Wednesday, May 15, 2024, securing her spot on the American team and presenting her with a chance to compete in two different sports at the Paris Games. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

A roadmap to follow for the triathlon competition at the Paris Games:

Athletes to Watch

—Alex Yee, Britain: The silver medalist in Tokyo three years ago won a test event on the Paris course last August. He is a former 10,000-meter runner on the track.

—Léo Bergere, France: No. 1 in Olympic men’s qualifying rankings.

—Dorian Coninx, France: The 2023 world champion sustained a broken wrist and elbow but said “anything is possible” once the race starts.

—Kristian Blummenfelt, Norway: The reigning Olympic champion.

—Beth Potter, Britain: In a stellar 2023, the Glasgow native won the Olympic test event and was crowned world champion.

—Flora Duffy, Bermuda: The reigning Olympic champion had contemplated retirement because of a knee injury.

—Taylor Spivey, United States: The 33-year-old Californian will make her Olympic debut.

—Taylor Knibb, United States: She has won the Ironman 70.3 world championships in back-to-back seasons. She’s been racing triathlons since she was 11. Her mother is a former Ironman competitor. Also making the U.S. team are Kirsten Kasper, Morgan Pearson and Seth Rider.

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Storylines to Follow

— How clean is the water? Specifically, a stretch of the River Seine in sight of the Eiffel Tower where French President Emmanuel Macron is due to take a dip. Triathlon for men and women starts with a 1.5-kilometer (0.93-mile) swim in the river before a 40k (24.9-mile) cycle and 10k (6.2-mile) run. Cleaning up the long-polluted Seine is a key legacy target of these Olympics. An open water swimming race last August was canceled over water concerns after heavy rain, but triathlon test events did happen two weeks later.

—Don’t block the swimmers with a boat. Triathlon made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics for a chaotic false start in the men’s race. A boat for camera operators strayed across swimmers trying to dive in. Some athletes swam 200 meters before hearing the call for a restart.

—A picture postcard route of races scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Swimmers dive in by the Alexandre III bridge and complete two loops back to it. They cycle and run a total of 11 times past the Grand Palais, along the Champs Élysées to pass either side of the Arc de Triomphe. An extra loop for cycling goes south of the river past the parliament building, the Assemblée Nationale, and the Musée d’Orsay.

Key Dates

The men’s event is July 30, the women’s event is July 31, and the mixed team relay is Aug. 5.

Reigning Champions

—Men: Kristian Blummenfelt, Norway.

—Women: Flora Duffy, Bermuda.

—Mixed team: Britain

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)