Starting next year, the race will be known as the Toyota Legacy Triathlon and will host the USA Paratriathlon National Championships.

It will also include an age-group triathlon and open water swim competition.

The event, a non-draft sprint-distance race was unveiled by USA Triathlon in May 2018 shortly after the Californian city was awarded the Olympic Games for a third time.

The Legacy Triathlon will enable USA Triathlon to contribute to Southern California’s Olympic lore and rich triathlon history by giving back to the local multi-sport community, it is claimed.

USA Triathlon is the first national governing body to bring a new annual event to the Los Angeles footprint as part of the build-up to the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

Its mission is to start building its legacy before, rather than after, the Games - starting at the grassroots level, and over time becoming a prestigious international event featuring elite and age-group athletes, as well as Para-triathletes, from around the world.

The first race was held in 2019 with United States Olympian Joe Maloy winning the men's race and Kelly Dippold the women's.

The race in 2021 is due to take place on July 18 following the cancellation of this year's event because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Sponsorship of the Legacy Triathlon was part of a wider sponsorship deal announced by USA Triathlon with the Japanese car manufacturer.

The company will also support USA Triathlon’s top athletes in the lead-up to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer.

A member of The Olympic Programme – TOP - through 2024, Toyota is an official partner of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee, as well as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

In its first two years as a founding partner of USA Triathlon, Toyota showed unparalleled commitment to the paratriathlon programme - serving as the title partner for the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships and combining with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and USA Triathlon to offer the first-ever professional prize purse for the event in 2019.

In June, the company supported the Toyota US Paratriathlon Resident Team in its “Operation CO>COVID” Ride Across Colorado, a relay-style bike ride that raised funds for the USA Triathlon Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund and the Care & Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado.

“Over the last two years, Toyota has raised the bar for our paratriathlon programme in unprecedented ways - helping increase visibility and awareness, but also professionalising the sport for the United States’ top elite Paratriathletes,” Rocky Harris, the USA Triathlon chief executive, said.

"We are proud to continue our partnership with Toyota through the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, while collaborating on innovative age-group and grassroots initiatives."