INTRODUCTION: Triathlon mixed relay (MR) is characterized by the rapid race development and frequent changes of positions. However, the characteristics of MR race have not yet been fully clarified. The analysis of the race development and relay order of the 2019 World Triathlon MR Series indicated that 1) it is effective to maintain or improve the ranking in the third leg in order to finish at the top, and 2) it is effective to assign MR-specific members in the order formation. (Moriya, 2020). This study aimed to examine to clarify the race development in MR in the Tokyo Olympics, and to obtain basic data regarding the strengthening strategy for the Paris Olympics. METHODS: This study used Tokyo Olympic MR Results, Tokyo Olympic Individual Race Results, Olympic Qualification Rankings (OQR), and World Triathlon Rankings (WTR) published on the World Triathlon HP to analyze the relationship between them. RESULTS: Race Development 1) As the race progressed, the time gap between leader and chaser increased. 2) The time difference increased significantly in run part of all legs. 3) In third leg, the time difference increased significantly in all three parts (p<0.01). Relay Order 1) A tendency was observed to place higher performance athletes in first leg for female and in fourth leg for male. 2) The relationship between individual race, OQR, and WTR revealed that the correlation was higher in the order of individual race ranking < WTR < OQR. 3) The OQR total of two female athletes was found to have the highest correlation with MR ranking (r=0.727). CONCLUSION: 1) The fact that no noticeable change in the race development appeared in two males legs can be attributed to the fact that two male from each country each had a high performance. 2) The performance difference between the contestants was greater for female than male. Therefore, many countries ordered athletes with higher performance in the first leg. This is thought to have led to a large time difference in the third leg. 3) The males and females legs are scheduled to be switched due to the revision of the WT competition rules starting in 2023. Therefore, the above trend is expected to change significantly.
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