The Olympians: Sarah Haskins

Sarah Haskins, from Colorado Springs and St. Louis, is the third and final addition to the women’s USA Triathlon team heading to Beijing. She finished sixth overall at the ITU Hy-Vee World Cup, an Olympic distance marathon that saw her edging out American competition, including Becky Lavelle, who will serve as alternate, and Sarah Groff, a 2004 Olympian.

Watch the race on ITU’s Web site, where Haskins starts to push the pace during the final running segment. The Australians dominated the race: Emma Snowsill came in first, followed by Emma Moffatt.

Triathlon is a new sport, as well as one of the most buzzed summer Olympic events. It was invented in the 1970s by the San Diego Track Club, and was introduced to the Olympics in 2000. The Olympic distance triathlon consists of other Olympic distances: a 1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride, and 10-kilometer run. Get more facts on the event from ITU’s “Triathlon Facts” page.

Prior to her Olympic qualification at Hy-Vee, Haskins talked to Slowtwitch.com about her training regimen, her goals for 2008, the London Olympics in 2012, and her addiction to reality television. Haskins explains that a typical week of triathlon training includes at least one “brick” per week—two forms of training back to back, usually a bike ride followed directly by a run—as well as about six runs a week, six swims and four or five bike sessions.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, in a proud report on its hometown hero’s Olympic qualification, describes Haskins’s journey from childhood swimmer to adolescent runner and triathlete (after being inspired by watching the event’s debut at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney). At Hy-Vee, Haskins found herself neck-and-neck with teammate Sarah Groff, but managed to shake her off after the transition from the bike to the run. “I've really been working on transitions,” she told the Post-Dispatch. “The main goal was to be first out, so I was really happy.”

So just what are Haskins’s chances in Beijing? The relatively young athlete will be competing against her own countrywomen: Laura Bennett, 33; and Julie Swail Ertel, 36, a water polo silver medalist at the 2000 Games; as well as a host of talented athletes from top triathlon factories like Australia, New Zealand and Germany. But for now, Haskins is likely just relieved that the qualifier at Hy-Vee brought her such luck; the swimming portion of the race was almost converted to a second run amid a bacteria scare after Iowa’s recent floods.

Haskins will compete in Beijing on August 18. Tune in to NBC for coverage and NBC Olympics online for multimedia and news.