Analysis and Comparison of Female Triathlon Top-Class Performance at Three Main Competitions over 23 Years Considering Race Position

Background.No articles have been found that simultaneously compare top-class female triathlon performance over the years, across different competitions, and between race positions.Objectives.This study aims to compare performance levels across significant female triathlon events, compare the performance of medalist female triathletes with non-medalist female triathletes, and analyze the performance trends in female Olympic-distance triathlon over 23 years (from 2000 to 2023).Methods.The dataset for this study was obtained from the ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS) website (http://wts.triathlon.org/).Individual discipline times and overall times from 2000 to 2023 were collected for analysis, excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.The performance has been compared a) between competitions, b) between positions (medalists and non-medalists), and c) across the years.Results.The best time for any discipline and group never corresponds to the European Championship.A significant relationship exists between the years and performance for all disciplines, considering both medalists and all athletes (p values <0.001).Conclusion.Running time is the most differentiating discipline between the medalists and the rest, although it is not the only one.A causal relationship has been proven between the years and the performance improvement in all disciplines, similar for medalists and all participants.Female triathletes perform better at the World Championship than in other competitions.