Two-time Olympic triathlete Brad Kahlfeldt is eagerly awaiting the start of the Games on Friday.

Every four years, memories flood back when he remembers his experiences in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

Turning 42 next week, Kahlefeldt is excited about watching a variety of sports, but is keen on one event in particular.

"I absolutely love it when it's on and watch all the sports," he said.

"It's the pinnacle of the sporting world and I can't wait for it to start and watch all the different events.

"I do some marathon running now so I follow those races around the world and I'll be watching that and the other distance races at the Games and obviously I'll be watching the triathlon."

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Kahlefeldt said he finished 11th in the triathlon in Beijing and 29th in London.

He believes the Games will provide a different atmosphere this time around.

The Games were postponed due to COVID last year and are set to go ahead with the absence of thousands of cheering fans in Tokyo.

"One of the biggest things is the huge crowd and there won't be any this year," he said.

"But, it is what it is this year and after being postponed last year, I think most athletes will just be thankful that the Games are taking place.

"It'll be completely different without the crowds, but it will be the same for everyone.

"It was a lot of fun because by being part of the Australian team, you could get a ticket to watch any event, so it's a pity that won't happen this time around.

"Beijing and London were so different but if I had to pick it would be London because the atmosphere with the crowd was unbelievable."

A former Sacred Heart Primary School and St Michaels Regional High School student, Kahlefeldt understands the mindset of athletes in the lead-up to the Games.

Growing up in Wagga, Kahlefeldt played a variety of sports sports before concentrating on running and then finding his passion in the triathlon event.

He did not have the best of preparations in the months leading up to his Olympic appearances.

"I had a major hip problem at Beijing and had to have surgery straight after the Games and I was stuck in hospital in San Diego with pneumonia just a few months before the London Games," Kahlefeldt said.

"I wasn't good at all as I was coughing blood and was quite sick - so it wasn't the best preparation for me.

"The nerves for all those athletes are starting to set in and it builds over time - I know how they'll be feeling.

"I'm past my prime now and I do miss racing sometimes but I don't miss the preparation and the training - I'm glad it's them and not me now."

Some of Kahlefeldt's most memorable Olympic experiences were not only as a competitor in the sporting arena.

"Just being part of a multisport team was fantastic, but I love my food and it was the dining hall in London that sticks in my mind; It was incredible - it was about the size of two footy ovals.

"As an Australian team member we could get tickets to watch other events.

"Some of my other highlights was when I went and watched Usain Bolt in his events.

"The older, more experience Australian team members told me to enjoy it and take it all in, so I made the most of my experience in Beijing and London and stayed until the end of the Games."

Although Kahlefeldt did not appear on the podium as an Olympic Games medal winner, he has emerged victorious with some eye-catching performances.

Kahlefeldt tasted sporting success with many triumphs in 2006, two years before he was named as an Australia Day Ambassador for Wagga.

He won a Commonwealth Games triathlon gold medal on home soil two years earlier during the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

In an eventful 2006, Kahlefeldt also won the Australian Championship.

He won three World Championship triathlon bronze medals in 2005, 2007 and 2010.

Kahlefeldt has recently taken up marathon running, recording a personal best time of two hours and 19 minutes in a Sydney Olympic qualification marathon in April.

"It wasn't an event to qualify for the Olympics; it was a race to get an official time," he said.

"I usually try to do a couple of marathons each year."

Sport is a common passion for Kahlefeldt and his wife Radka, who is an instructor at Wagga Swim Hub..

Radka has also competed in the Olympic Games at London, competing for the Czech Republic.

The Riverina has a rich history of Olympians including Brad Kahlefeldt; Alicia Lucas (nee Quirk); Melanie Wells (nee Twitt); Adam Commens; Patrick Dwyer; Sally Shipard; Andrew Hoy and John Konrads, who died earlier this year in April.

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