The World Triathlon Series (WTS) are events hosted by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) aimed to crown a world champion annually.
The WTS has eight competitions leading to a Grand Final Race. Throughout each event, triathletes are competing for points that are used to tally their total score and also to announce the WTS champion.
The triathlon takes on standard (Olympic) distances: 500 m open-water start swim; 40 km draft-legal cycle; and a 10 km run.
This event was formerly known as the ITU Triathlon World Championship with a single race used to determine a champion. From the formation of the ITU in 1989 to 2008, this was the style of the event. In 2009, the event changed to a culmination of events leading to a crowned championship. Throughout 2009 to 2011 the event was called the World Championship Series (WCS) before finally reaching the name it is known as today, the World Triathlon Series, in 2012.
Interesting Fact: In the 2013 series, the prize money was worth a total of $2.25 million for elite athletes; this is the most lucrative and competitive triathlon event in the world.
Related Pages
- Other major triathlon events
- More about the sport of triathlon