http://www.triathlon.org/news/ en erin.greene@triathlon.org Copyright 2013 2013-05-22T06:49:57+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/camilla_pedersen_storms_to_victory_at_challenge_barcelona http://www.triathlon.org/site/camilla_pedersen_storms_to_victory_at_challenge_barcelona#When:07:47:13Z Camilla Pedersen triumphed for a second year in a row at Challenge Barcelona to win the ETU Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships. Ireland’s Eimear Mullan was second and Maria Czesnik (POL) secured the bronze medal in third place. It was Pedersen’s first victory at this level since her 2011 win at Tampere in the ETU Long Distance Championships. It was Polish athlete Czesnik, along with Germany’s Ricarda Lisk, who set the pace during the swim to exit the water in front. At the start of the 90 km cycling segment, Great Britain’s Holly Lawrence headed the race, followed by Pedersen and Lisk. The Danish athlete looked strong and composed as she got into a rhythm before leaving her rivals behind. Pedersen maintained her advantage all along the 21 km run course and reached the finish line with a wide margin over her rivals. After the race, a delighted Pedersen said: “It has been incredible, a real challenge with this new cycling course. I had problems with my bike a couple of times, but everything ended up well and I managed to enjoy the circuit, where I felt really comfortable. “I love this circuit, it is fun and constitutes a real challenge. I never expect anything specific before starting a new race, I just go out there planning to give my best and it makes me really happy to win.” For more information on the ETU Challenge Barcelona Middle Distance European Championships, click here. Picture Credit: Riccardo Giardina, email riccardo@actionpress.it for more. 2013-05-21T07:47:13+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/Javier_Gomez_enjoys_Golden_debut_in_Barcelona http://www.triathlon.org/site/Javier_Gomez_enjoys_Golden_debut_in_Barcelona#When:07:42:42Z Double World Champion, Triple European Champion and Olympic Silver medallist Javier Gomez added another title to his CV with a supreme performance in Barcelona. The Spaniard, making his middle distance debut, was never far from the front of the race throughout the course and when he left T2 in first place he continuously increased his advantage to finish in 4:05:17, six minutes ahead of the runner up. After the race, the Champion said: “I only have one word: spectacular. In the beginning, I tried to manage my effort in the very demanding cycling segment, but when I saw myself getting comfortable and securing enough margin, I decided to enjoy the run course and its public. “I am very happy with my result, the atmosphere and the great organization of this Challenge competition.” The male Elite group started at 7am on the beach of Calella, for an intense and spectacular day. Jens Toft (DEN) was the first to complete the 1.9 km swim course, followed just three seconds later by Javier Gómez and the Russian Nikolay Yaroshenko in third position. After T1 start, Toft led the first kilometers of the bike segment, whilst Gomez exited in second position and Yaroshenko and Italian Alberto Casadei following closely. In the downhill section, Gomez launched an attack and managed to overcome the Dane and get in first position. After that, the Spaniard continuously increased his advantage, entering T2 and easily facing the final 21 km run, until he crossed the finish line victoriously. Denmark’s Martin Jensen and Jens Toft completed the podium. Jensen, who was unable to compete throughout the major part of 2012 due to injury, was satisfied with his race: “It is a spectacular circuit that I thoroughly enjoyed and I am really happy with my silver medalist position, especially since I have only recently recovered from my injury.” Beforehand, the race was billed as Javier Gomez vs Chris McCormack. The Australian legend finished 7th overall and said: “I travelled a long way looking for a challenge, and I found it. “It was a hard race, a very good training at the beginning of the season. Furthermore, I have been able to enjoy it alongside Javier, an incredible person with whom I can find no fault; he is extremely talented and very classy. “I would feel privileged if he would succeed me in this distance; it has been a real pleasure to compete with him in a town like Calella and with the spectacular organization provided by Challenge.” 2013-05-21T07:42:42+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_opens_bid_process_for_2014_world_triathlon_series http://www.triathlon.org/site/itu_opens_bid_process_for_2014_world_triathlon_series#When:06:49:57Z ITU has opened bidding for the 2014 World Triathlon Series to all National Federations and cities interested in hosting one of the eight flagship events. The elected cities will join Hamburg, London, Yokohama and Auckland as confirmed hosts of the popular race series. Edmonton, Canada will also host the 2014 ITU Triathlon World Championship Grand Final. “With ever increasing media exposure and electric racing, the ITU World Triathlon Series is a pinnacle focus of the triathlon community,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “The sport’s growing popularity provides cities with the opportunity to gain global exposure and create a positive economic impact, while promoting a healthy lifestyle to its citizens.” The ITU World Triathlon Series is the premier triathlon series in the world and features the top triathletes racing head-to-head in cities around the globe. In addition to competing for the title of World Champion, athletes vie for a total prize purse of approximately $2-million USD, the greatest cumulative prize money in triathlon. The series is comprised of Olympic and sprint distance events, with one race also selected to host the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships.  Hosting a WTS event offers cities the opportunity to showcase themselves to millions of people via an international television audience in addition to attracting thousands of international guests and race participants. The 2012 season saw record high participation and an 18% increase in television exposure resulting from more than 1,000 hours of broadcast. Each race will again be broadcast live to an international audience, in addition to offering a 52-minute highlight show as well as live internet coverage, social media exposure and worldwide news distribution. Cities interested in hosting a World Triathlon Series event must submit bid documents in conjunction with their respective National Federations by 10 July 2013. Click here to download the bid document Events, World Championship Series, Federations, Media Centre, Press Release, Multisports, Regions, 2013-05-22T06:49:57+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/Essential_Triathlon_Training_Tips_Sighting http://www.triathlon.org/site/Essential_Triathlon_Training_Tips_Sighting#When:08:02:39Z We all know by now the buoys not only mark the course, but also give us a marker to sight for on the swim. However, the buoys aren’t the only objects that can help you keep a straight line on the swim. Check out this video with expert coach Craig Redman to get an insight into how the elites get from the start to the finish of the swim with the shortest route possible. Age Group, Sport Development, 2013-05-21T08:02:39+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/weekend_race_roundup_may_20_2013 http://www.triathlon.org/site/weekend_race_roundup_may_20_2013#When:08:54:27Z Sprint races, middle distances championships, paratriathlon and World Cups all in one weekend. It was triathlon heaven and a pure system overload in the best sense. If all the multisport action had your head spinning as much as it did ours, check out this quick and easy recap of all the action that went down. 2013 Barcelona ETU Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships Olympic Silver medallist Javier Gomez added another title to his CV with a supreme performance in Barcelona. The Spaniard, making his middle distance debut, was never far from the front of the race throughout the course and when he left T2 in first place he continuously increased his advantage to finish in 4:05:17, six minutes ahead of the runner up. Denmark’s Martin Jensen and Jens Toft completed the podium. Jensen, who was unable to compete throughout the major part of 2012 due to injury, was satisfied with his race. Full men’s recap here. Camilla Pedersen triumphed for a second year in a row at Challenge Barcelona to win the ETU Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships. Ireland’s Eimear Mullan was second and Maria Czesnik secured the bronze medal in third place. It was Pedersen’s first victory at this level since her 2011 win at Tampere in the ETU Long Distance Championships. Full women’s recap here. Full results can be found here 2013 Besançon ITU Paratriathlon International Event Europe hosted its first ITU International Paratriathlon Event in France this weekend. It was also the first ever Paratriathlon National Championships that France has held in accordance with ITU compliance. The race served as a qualifier for France’s Paratriathlon Elite National Team as well as European Championships in Alanya. Despite cold, wet conditions that forced race organisers to change the race from a triathlon to a 5km run, 20km bike, 2.5km duathlon, 46 athletes turned out for the race. The event was well supported by the city of Besancon and was hailed as a success by athletes and triathlon officials. Click here for full results 2013 Chizhou ITU Triathlon Premium Asian Cup Australian men cleaned up at the Asian Cup in China, sweeping first and third with Russian Vladimir Turbayevskiy sandwiched between Jesse Featonby and Mitchell Kealey on the podium. Although Kealey and Turbayevskiy exited the water together and continued their race side by side on the bike, it was Featonby who powered ahead with a solid bike leg to earn the title in... Age Group, Events, Paratriathlon, Multisports, Regions, Sport Development, 2013-05-20T08:54:27+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/mens_review http://www.triathlon.org/site/mens_review#When:17:48:58Z Artem Parienko (RUS) threw down a monster run on Sunday in Huatulco to take a late lead in the run and win his first ITU World Cup. “It’s my first World Cup win, and it’s a new experience for me. I’m very excited and happy,” Parienko said. “The first two laps after the bike were not easy because of the size of the group. On the run I just gave everything I had and I won.” In a late surge, Parienko gunned for the leaders who were more than a minute ahead on the start of the run. But by the second run lap, the Russian had pulled even with Luciano Taccone (ARG), who had broken away on the bike behind France’s Aurelien Raphael. Parienko smoked the final two laps for the win, followed closely by Taccone. While Raphael faded under the hot conditions, Mexico’s own Irving Perez stormed ahead for bronze. Raphael was at the helm from the start, driving the lead pack, who all entered T1 within 35 seconds of each other. The leaders then worked to build a distance over the chasers, which included some lone riders and small packs riding more than a minute back. At the end of lap four, Raphael had broken away from the pack, tackling the scorching hills on his own and putting a distance of 30 seconds between himself and the competition. The pack fractured in lap 5, with Taccone and Italy’s Luca Facchinetti staging their own breakaway from the main pack of 14 who had fallen to almost a minute back from Raphael. As he continued to push the pace on the bike, Raphael’s quick transition to the run gave him an edge of nearly a minute over Taccone in the final leg of the race. The main pack was close to two minutes back, having fallen off the pace with the full run still looming ahead. “I tried to make a difference on the bike,” Taccone said. “I know perhaps going with Raphael wasn’t a good idea but I tried it for myself. I knew the others could come to me and I could run with them. I was confident of my running.” However, despite a strong lead, chasers Taccone and Parienko reeled in Raphael, cutting his advantage to just 14 seconds after two laps. In the third lap, Parienko surged ahead to take the lead, with Taccone keeping distance behind him. While the men have each finished 33rd in Huatulco in previous years and lined up in nearly identical positions on the start list on Sunday, it was Parienko who won out on Sunday. The Russian took the top podium spot in two hours, 3 minutes, and 12 seconds. Taccone posted his highest ever ITU World Cup... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, 2013-05-19T17:48:58+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/oliveira_golden_in_huatulco_in_line_to_line_win http://www.triathlon.org/site/oliveira_golden_in_huatulco_in_line_to_line_win#When:15:12:23Z Before the extreme heat of the day hit Huatulco, Brazil’s Pamela Oliveira showed her strengths when she recorded her first ever World Cup win, leading from line to line on Sunday. Austria’s Lisa Perterer put the hammer down on the run, closing in significantly on Oliveira, but it wasn’t quite enough as she took second for her highest World Cup finish ever. Ukraine’s Yuliya Yelistratova posted an impressive final bike lap to bridge up, which put her in prime running position to earn her first World Cup finish since 2010. Oliveira is no stranger to the course – she finished second on this course in 2012, which was just the advantage she needed to take control of the race. From the start, the Brazilian Olympian distanced herself from the field, exiting the water first from the 1,500-meter swim with Gaia Peron (ITA) and Anne Tabarant (FRA) not far behind. After lap one of the bike, Oliveira had a nearly 30-second lead on the first chase pack, which included Tabarant, Mexico’s Maria Eugenia Barrera, Canada’s Joanna Brown and Austrian Lisa Perterer. Claudia Rivas (MEX), who took bronze in this race last year, was riding solo at the start of the bike but quickly joined the lead chase pack by the end of lap two. The gap continued to grow through the eight laps of the bike, despite the rising temperatures and the major hill facing athletes on each lap. By the final lap, Oliveira had stacked up more than two minutes between her and the five women in pursuit. The second chase group, comprised of Yelistratova and Mateja Simic (SLO), made a last minute push to join the hunt for podium finishes by bridging up to the five-woman chase group. Even with a solid lead on the rest of the field, Oliveira worked to maintain her lead throughout four laps over a hungry chase pack. Perterer quickly slid into second position, followed closely by Yelistratova, chiseling away at the distance to Oliveira. With one lap to go, the pair had gained a full minute back against Oliveira. But it wasn’t enough to overtake Oliveira, as she cruised home to victory to claim her line-to-line win after a fully solo race in two hours, 16 minutes, 10 seconds. In an impressive run, Perterer held off Yelistratova for second 38 seconds later. Yelistratova crossed over just slightly more than 10 seconds after Perterer for bronze. Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, 2013-05-19T15:12:23+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/huatulco_press_conference_highlights http://www.triathlon.org/site/huatulco_press_conference_highlights#When:19:42:12Z As athletes prepare to battle the hills and heat of Huatulco come Sunday at the third World Cup race of the year, four athletes – Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales and Claudia Rivas, and Lisa Perterer (AUT) and Andrew Yorke (CAN) shared their thoughts with the local media.  Andrew Yorke (CAN) On racing in Huatulco “This is my second year racing this event, and it’s a great course that the city of Huatulco has put together for us, along with ITU. I think the biggest factor this weekend is going to be the heat and the hills. You go out too hard and maybe haven’t done your heat preparation, it’s going to be a struggle.” On the competition he is facing “I think there’s going to be a pretty hard pace set on the bike by some of the athletes like Leonardo Chacon and Ivan Rana. There’s a lot of young athletes trying to make a name for themselves. This World Cup series is kind of their new stomping ground, so there’s probably going to be some new faces out there from Canada and the U.S. and I think it will be a competitive race all around even though we don’t have as many London or WTS finalists as we normally see. It’s going to be challenging but I’m looking forward to it; this is my kind of course.” Claudia Rivas (MEX) On the racing conditions “I like this event a lot because of the heat and the challenging course. I like when the bike is really hard like many races here in Mexico and Huatulco. In previous years, the heat has been really strong and I’ve done well. In the beginning, the heat affects you. But in triathlon, there are always different conditions.” Crisanto Grajales (MEX) On the challenging course “I really like this race. It’s very hard, but beautiful as well. It’s very demanding with the heat and climbs. I suppose all of us athletes here like the challenge. So it should be a really good race.” Lisa Peterer (AUT) On her race experience in Mexico “I’m here for a third time, because I like Mexico. The people are friendly, I like the heat and the hilly course, the up and downs. I hope I’m in a good form and we will see the outcome on Sunday. There are three others who were competing at the Olympic Games, so we will see.” Events, World Cup, Regions, 2013-05-17T19:42:12+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/fast_five_with_russias_dmitry_polyanskiy http://www.triathlon.org/site/fast_five_with_russias_dmitry_polyanskiy#When:07:42:27Z The World Triathlon Series simply wouldn’t be the same without the strong Russian contingency consistently pushing the pace in the men’s races. Leading that pack is two-time Olympian Dmitry Polyanskiy. As one of the speedy sets of brothers on the circuit, Dmitry can almost always be found on the front end of the swim and in the top 10 of nearly every race he enters. Last year, his top performances earned him a third-place finish in the overall World Championship rankings. ITU recently caught up with Dmitry in Yokohama to talk triathlon, his future, and the family training dynamics. What memories do you have of your first ever triathlon? It was in my home town about ten or more years ago, it was a wonderful experience for me. It was held in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia. I can’t remember where I finished but it was a most enjoyable experience. My father encouraged me to take part. I was a swimmer but I had a very good run and so my father said for me to go and try triathlon. What is your favourite ITU race? My favourite race is in Yokohama in Japan and in Madrid in Spain. I like both races and for me it feels like home because I am not far from my home. Favourite training destination Cyprus. It is the best place in winter for training. Favourite Holiday I don’t have a favourite yet. This season I will travel to Africa and Kilimanjaro. Music I listen to some music but I don’t really have a favourite, I listen to a lot of different music. Post training snack My coach is very good cook, he prepares our meals and always it is healthy and good food for the team after training. Coffee drinker? No, I am not a coffee drinker, I love tea. When I come to Asia, I love the green tea but when in Europe or the US my favourite is black tea. Five years from now, where will Dmitry Polyanskiy be? In the Russian team, we are very focused on the next Olympics in Rio, this is the important goal for us. We are training and learning new technical skills, all to prepare for the Olympic Games in Rio and of course I will try to be there. In London I had no luck with my wheels but in Rio I will be 29 years, which is I think my peak condition for triathlon. I will try, the whole team will try to win a medal at the Olympic Games. Favourite and least favourite training activities? Now of course it is running, this is the most important thing for us and the part of my training I enjoy the most. We are working on new technical parts of the run, we have to try and change... Age Group, Athletes, Regions, Asia, 2013-05-16T07:42:27+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/history_made_at_national_duathlon http://www.triathlon.org/site/history_made_at_national_duathlon#When:22:47:14Z Even though there is no such thing as World and National Records in Triathlons and Duathlons as each Race course is different, there are certain Benchmarks. In Trinidad those Benchmarks are a finish time of two hours for a standard duathlon and a one-hour finish time for the juniors in the Sprint distance, which is half of the Standard. While Ancil Greene reclaimed his title as National Champion as he came first in the standard distance, he just missed this Benchmark with a time of 2hrs 2mins 49sec. The new National Junior Champion Avinash Anamalay on the other Hand took matters in his hand and with an impressive sprint and his eyes glued to the clock in front of him he managed to finish in a time of 59mins and 36seconds. He has with that become the first Trinidadian Duathlete to crack the one Hour Benchmark. The pride was obvious on his face and shared in the finish area with his Teammates, Coach and Family. The race was started a few minutes late by the Mayor of Port of Spain Louis Lee Sing, who enjoyed the Company of these athletes and had some encouraging words to give them on their way. The course took the athletes along the fence on the northeastern side of the Savannah as far as Jerningham Avenue to come back, pass the Transition Area and to the western turn just before the hollows. After the juniors did that lap twice and the seniors four times it was time to hit the road with the bike…accompanied by police motorbikes the Athletes set out and did their Laps around the Savannah. After less than an Hour Avinash, like he already had used up all the Products from GNC he found in his Race Kit reached at the finish. Behind him was Kent Costa in 1:09:24 who started in the 40-49 Years Age Group in second place and Youngster in the Juniors Joshua Ho with an impressive 1:09:49 . In the Female Junior Category Rene Chin Lee seized her first National Title as Duathlete in a time of 1:17:56. This is her second title for the month as she also has won the Tri The Spice Triathlon on the Easter weekend. Behind her was Chelsea Mohammed in 1:32:29. In the Standard Distance the first one to emerge at the finish line was Ancil Greene in a time of 2:02:49 followed by Kirk Hearn with 2:06:59 in second Place and Jonah Camps in third place with a time of 2:07:53. The women’s race was dominated by veteran Diane Henderson in 2:47:04, she added yet another national title onto the long list she already has. Diane also has given the federation a trophy for the first... Federations, Regions, Americas, 2013-05-15T22:47:14+00:00