Since it's introduction back in 2009, Australia has secured six Mixed Relay World Championship medals - including gold in 2017.
Hatched by the ITU (now World Triathlon) to get another triathlon event on the Olympic Program and, therefore medal opportunities,
The World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships sees teams consist of four athletes, comprising two men and two women, with each member completing a super-sprint distance triathlon as part of the competition.
This year’s World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships takes place on Sunday 16 July at 10:15pm AEST, with Team Australia looking to get back on the podium for the first time since 2019.
Matt Hauser, who was part of the Mixed Relay World Championship winning team in 2017, says the format brings an added level of intensity.
“In relays it's almost as if you lift that extra 10 percent, knowing that every second, every place ahead counts,” said Hauser.
“It's not just a matter of what I need to do to have my best race, but also what position my teammate needs to be in to execute her’s.
“There's no hesitation, it's go hard and empty the tank every time.”
Ahead of Sunday's Mixed Relay World Championship race in Hamburg, we're taking a look back at the Team Australia podium performances at the event!
2009 Mixed Relay Championships, Hy-Vee
- Switzerland
- Australia
- Canada
Team Australia - Emma Moffatt, Courtney Atkinson, Emma Snowsill, Brad Kahlefeldt
Twelve years ahead of its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, the mixed relay format of triathlon was on full display at the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, United States.
The inaugural Mixed Relay Championships consisted of seventeen teams representing ten countries.
A star studded Australian team headlined by Emma Snowsill and Emma Moffatt, fresh off their gold and bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and partnered by Olympic teammates Courtney Atkinson and Brad Kahlefeldt secured silver behind a Switzerland team that included Daniela Ryf, now a five-time IRONMAN World Champion.
2015 Mixed Relay Championships, Hamburg
- France
- Australia
- Great Britain
Team Australia - Gillian Backhouse, Aaron Royle, Emma Jackson, Ryan Bailie
In the seventh edition of the ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships, the Australian team of Gillian Backhouse, Aaron Royle, Emma Jackson and Ryan Bailie took silver behind France, who scored its first World Championship title in a down to the line fight.
Wet conditions and last minute changes in personnel set the stage for a dramatic event which didn’t disappoint.
Great Britain, Germany, Australia and France had positioned themselves as leaders as the final athletes prepared to tag off from their teammates.
Australian anchor Bailie and France’s Vincent Luis bolted out of the final transition together finding themselves in a fight until the final 200 meters.
Luis found another gear late in the race to pull away from Bailie to secure France’s first-ever Mixed Relay World Championship title leaving silver to Australia and bronze to Great Britain.
2016 Mixed Relay Championships, Hamburg
- United States
- Australia
- Germany
Team Australia - Charlotte McShane, Jake Birtwhistle, Emma Jackson, Ryan Bailie
In practically a line-to-line dominate performance, the United States crushed the 2016 ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Champions in Hamburg for its first-ever World Championship Title, leaving an Australian team of Charlotte McShane, Jake Birtwhistle, Emma Jackson and Ryan Bailie to fight for a photo-finish silver.
Entering the final leg of the final athlete, it was anybody’s race for silver and bronze as France’s Anthony Pujades, Germany’s Gregor Buchholz an Australia’s Ryan Bailie an onto the blue carpet together.
Buchholz and Bailie jumped slightly in front of Pujades. Then the pair pumped their way to the finish line, with Bailie out running Buccholz ever so slightly, securing a third Mixed Relay World Championship silver for Australia.
2017 Mixed Relay Championships, Hamburg
- Australia
- United States
- Netherlands
Team Australia - Charlotte McShane, Matt Hauser, Ashleigh Gentle, Jake Birtwhistle
Australia’s first Mixed Relay World Championship victory came in 2017, at the the first event after Mixed Relay triathlon had officially becoming an Olympic Sport to be featured in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
Team Australia was made up of Charlotte McShane, a fresh-faced 19 year-old Matt Hauser, and an Ash Gentle and Jake Birtwhistle, both fresh off winning silver medals in the World Triathlon Series individual races the day earlier.
Australia put forth a fierce come from behind race with Birtwhistle mimicking the individual men’s race from the day before on the final leg - gunned it in the final metres to bypass the field and snag the finish line, welcomed by his teammates as the Australia collected the World Title for the very first time.
“That taste of success was unprecedented for a 19-year-old, and I was super lucky and fortunate to have such an awesome squad to team up with,” said Hauser.
“One thing it's taught me is to embrace and cherish the wins and successes, take nothing for granted because wins like that don't come around every time.”
2018 Mixed Relay Championships, Hamburg
- France
- Australia
- United States
Team Australia - Natalie Van Coevorden, Aaron Royle, Ashleigh Gentle, Jake Birtwhistle
The 2018 race featured three frontrunners: the reigning champions, the Australian team; the US; and the French team, who showed strong potential based on their exceptional performances in the individual races in Hamburg the day before.
Over the first run not much separated the top contenders. Over the swim and cycle of the second leg a leading pack of four emerged consisting of France, Germany, the UK and the US with a twenty-second advantage.
Eventually gap was established with France two seconds ahead of the US in second, eleven seconds ahead of the UK in third and forty seconds clear of fifth place Australia. The gaps remained over the final swim until the bike leg
It was once again during the run that Jacob Birtwhistle truly shone, relentlessly chased his way into third position, before a thrilling sprint finish saw him clinching second place for Australia and leaving the US to settle for third.
2019 Mixed Relay Championships, Hamburg
- France
- Germany
- Australia
Team Australia - Natalie Van Coevorden, Aaron Royle, Emma Jeffcoat, Jake Birtwhistle
The 2019 ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championship marking the 11th edition of the event and the seventh time it was hosted in Hamburg.
The race took place around the Binnenalster, an artificial lake in central Hamburg, and featured 32 men and 32 women representing 16 countries. The format followed the standard mixed relay format, with each athlete swimming 300m, cycling 7 km, and running 1.7 km before tagging their teammate to continue.
On the day, Australia secured its fifth straight Mixed Relay World Championships podium with the team of Natalie Van Coevorden, Aaron Royle, Emma Jeffcoat, Jake Birtwhistle secured bronze behind winners France, and silver medalists Germany.
You can catch the action from the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships on TraithlonLive.
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