AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds: Elite Mixed Relay preview

The elite mixed relay will provide a fantastic spectacle and a thrilling end to AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds when the relay format is held in Leeds for the first time on Sunday (12 June).

Although this year is the sixth time the city has hosted the World Triathlon Championship Series, it’s the first time the relay format will be hosted in Leeds, providing a second day of world-class swim, bike, run in Roundhay Park.

The mixed relay captured the public’s hearts and minds when the format made its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where Team GB made history by becoming the first Olympic champions in the event.

This weekend in Leeds, nations from across the world, including Olympic champions Great Britain, will go head-to-head in the elite mixed relay which will start at 13:25 on Sunday and will be broadcast live on BBC2 and triathlonlive.tv/.

Fans of the sport will have become used to seeing the mixed relay ending with a male athlete crossing the finish line at the end of the relay event, including during Great Britain’s Olympic success in Tokyo last year.

But, after changes for the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle, Leeds will be the first World Triathlon Championship Series event to see a switch in the athlete order where a female athlete will now cross the finish line with the male athletes now taking on the first and third legs.

In Leeds, each athlete will complete a 300m swim, 6.9km bike and 1.9km run in and around Roundhay Park, with the final athlete for each nation cheered over the finish line in-front of the grandstand by Waterloo Lake, with only a few tickets left for the grandstand on Sunday.

Although the athletes who will represent their country in the elite mixed relay in Leeds will not be known until the day of the event, it’s expected to be an extremely competitive race, with 21 nations on the start list including the top-three nations from Tokyo 2020.

In Tokyo, Great Britain made history by becoming the first Olympic champions in the event ahead of silver medallists USA and bronze medallists France, with only 23 seconds separating the podium places.

Entry into Roundhay Park is free across the weekend so you can watch the best athletes from around the world in the elite races and cheer on those participating over the weekend of 11-12 June.

There are a few remaining tickets left for the grandstand in Roundhay Park, which will provide a great view across transition and the finish line, as well as part of the run and bike route for the mixed relay.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.

There will be live updates during the event weekend on British Triathlon’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. Use the hashtag #WTCSLEEDS to follow all the action and in your own posts.