INQUIRER Sports

BEIJING -- The Ming Tomb reservoir aptly hosts the swimming section of the grueling Olympics triathlon events on August 18 to 19 as athletes push themselves to the limit in a continuous race of 1.5km swim, 40km bike, then a 10km run.

Triathlon epitomizes the spirit of the modern Olympics having been born a mere generation ago, unlike the ancient sports still appearing today, and it has set its foot firmly on the Olympic schedule with Australia and New Zealand heading the cast.

The Olympic "splash/mash/dash," as the sport is fondly known, takes place in the Changping District of Beijing to the north of the capital city, starting in the Ming Tomb reservoir, also known as the Shisanling Reservoir, which is in the Jiu Long Amusement park.

Recently-crowned world champions Helen Tucker of Britain and Spain's Javier Gomez, who won their titles in Vancouver, Canada in June, have a chance of taking home triathlon gold for their respective countries for the first time.

The men's race favorites include Commonwealth champion Brad Kahlefeldt and his Australian compatriot Courtney Atkinson, plus Athens Olympic silver medalist Bevan Docherty, who also came second in the 2008 world championships.

Docherty's New Zealand teammates Kris Gemmell and Shane Reed could also be in the running.

The 2004 Olympic winner in Athens, Hamish Carter of New Zealand, will not be competing this time but the 2000 Olympic and Commonwealth champion Simon Whitfield of Canada will be making the trip.

Britain's 2006 world champion Tim Don can count himself fortunate that he had a lifetime Olympic ban overturned by the British Olympic Association after missing three out-of-competition drugs tests.

In the women's event, it would be hard to back against Australia's three-time world champion Emma Snowsill, also the current Commonwealth Games title-holder.

With excellent medical back-up and top training methods available in Australia, she has everything going for her to claim Australia's first Olympic gold in the event.

Australia's Erin Densham and Emma Moffatt served notice of their Beijing potential by finishing fourth and fifth respectively in Vancouver.

The transition area, which athletes enter twice as they move from the swim to the bike, and then later from the bike to the run, is positioned on a purposely-built platform at the base of the reservoir dam.

A stand with space for 10,000 spectators is just above that platform giving an easy view of athletes as they change sports and lap on the bike and the run.

And like the Sydney harbor bridge backdrop in 2000 and then the scenic beauty of the Athens venue, the Beijing triathlon course is also set to make a memorable impression.