http://www.triathlon.org/news/ en merryn.sherwood@gmail.com Copyright 2013 2013-06-19T07:56:27+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/world_cup_circuit_returns_to_edmonton http://www.triathlon.org/site/world_cup_circuit_returns_to_edmonton#When:10:16:57Z This weekend, Edmonton will welcome an ITU World Cup race to its city for the ninth time. The familiar host city will break from the standard race format in favor of a super speedy sprint 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run course. The fast and furious race will see top athletes like Erin Densham and Peter Kerr battle for bragging rights in the women’s and men’s races. Elite Women In her return to ITU racing after winning Olympic bronze in London last year, Erin Densham (AUS), will again headline the women’s start list. Though her form is a question mark, as she has elected not to start in any World Cup or World Triathlon Series events since the 2012 Auckland Grand Final, this Aussie super star’s history suggests she will be in prime podium position. Flora Duffy (BER) returns to the Canadian city after earning bronze here last year to line up second next to Densham. Duffy’s condition will also be a surprise, as she has not yet raced this season. Look for Claudia Rivas (MEX) to lead off the start. The Mexican is superb on the swim, as well as the bike. With just 5km on the end, Rivas may be in medal contention if she can hang with the leaders on the run. Joanna Brown is Canada’s highest ranking female on the start list, having finished fifth in the Huatulco World Cup in May just behind Rivas. Brown looks ready for a breakout performance, having raced to bronze in the Under23 division at the Grand Final in Auckland last year. Teammate and rising star Amelie Kretz will also look to make an impact on the elite field. Just 20 years old, she’s been steadily knocking off top performances this year like her win at the Bridgetown Sprint Pan American Cup. Women’s start list Elite Men Peter Kerr (AUS) will be one of the men to watch this weekend, as he won the Continental Championships in Australia earlier this year in both the sprint and Olympic distances. He also scored bronze at the Mooloolaba World Cup against a talented field and will look to continue his strong season in Edmonton. Local hopes lie with Canadians Andrew Yorke and Kyle Jones. Yorke is currently the second-highest ranking Canadian in the men’s charts, while Jones won his first ITU World Cup in Edmonton last year. He continues to looks fierce in the sprint distance having finished fifth in the Clermont Sprint Pan American Cup behind a stellar group of men. Richard Varga (SVK) is always exceptional on the swim, but with just 750m to work with on the front, it may not be enough... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Sport Development, 2013-06-17T10:16:57+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/germany_adds_european_championship_mixed_team_title http://www.triathlon.org/site/germany_adds_european_championship_mixed_team_title#When:15:56:53Z The juggernaut that is the German Mixed Relay team added another European Championship relay gold medal to their collection with victory in Alanya. The 2011 winners, and 2012 runners up, claimed another title after a strong team performance from Anja Knapp, Jonathan Zipf, Rebecca Robisch and Sebastian Rank. Robisch was on the winning side in 2011 and Knapp was involved in Eilat last year. Alexander Bruykhankov brought home the Russian team for the silver medal with Irina Abysova, Dmitry Polyanskiy and Alexandra Razarenova. Alice Betto, Alessandro Fabian, Annamaria Mazzetti and Davide Uccellari claimed the bronze medal for Italy. Just as she did in the elite race on Friday, Carolina Routier (ESP) was first up for Spain and led the field out of the water. Margrit Vanek (HUN) followed quickly and Knapp was third out of the water for Germany. A lead group of ten athletes grouped together after the first bike lap, led by Betto and including European Champion Rachel Klamer, Jess Harrison (FRA) and Ece Bakici keeping pace for Turkey. Harrison, Klamer and Vanek made a breakaway halfway through the run and after maintaining their pace it was Klamer who passed onto Bas Diederen to give the Dutch the lead going into the second leg. Harrison passed onto Pierre Le Corre and Gabor Faldum followed him into the water with a lead of twenty seconds over those chasing. The lead group of three stayed together on the bike but the chase pack including Danylo Sapunov (UKR), Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS), Jonathan Zipf (GER) and Alessandro Fabian (ITA) were giving chase and cutting the lead. Pierre Le Corre continued to look strong on the run and he broke away to build up a gap of ten seconds before passing onto Emmie Charayron. Shulgina, Mazzetti and Robisch followed one after the other into the water. Razarenova gave a scintillating performance out on the course and the Russian really went for it. After entering the water in 5th place she had caught up with the leaders by the end of the first bike lap. She then continued to push the pace and built up a lead of twenty seconds on leaving T2. Perhaps she pushed too hard as it was Mazzetti and Robisch who finished the run neck and neck and handed over to Uccellari and Rank. Razarenova came home in third as Bruykhankov took over and Luis picked up for France very much still in contention. Rank, Uccellari and Bruykhankov led together around the bike course but a smooth transition gave Rank the advantage and he was composed on... Events, Continental Championships, Media Centre, Event Release, Multisports, Team Triathlon, Regions, Europe, 2013-06-16T15:56:53+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/vasiliev_european_champ http://www.triathlon.org/site/vasiliev_european_champ#When:13:48:43Z Ivan Vasiliev (RUS) continued his successful season at the 2013 Alanya ETU Triathlon European Championships on Saturday, winning his first European title. Alessandro Fabian (ITA) executed a strong race plan from start to finish for silver, while Mario Mola (ESP) smoked the run yet again to make up nearly two minutes off the bike for bronze, each claiming their first elite European Championship medals. The amphibious Richard Varga (SVK) led the men around the two-lap swim course and into transition. But his lead was minimal, as Vincent Luis (FRA) and Maximilian Schwetz (GER) followed Varga out of the ocean just a second later. A total of 14 men got their bikes out of transition with an 11-second lead, but that group quickly dwindled down to 10 approaching the first bike turn with a half minute advantage. Included in the group that broke away was Varga, Vasiliev,  Alessandro Fabian (ITA), Pierre le Corre (FRA), and Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS). Meanwhile, pre-race faourite Mola trailed in the second group 40 seconds down after the first lap. By the second lap the group fell to just nine when Polyanskiy dropped to the chase group, then nearly a minute back. After Varga punctured a tire to take him out of the race on lap 4 of the bike, the leading eight had increased their lead to over a minute and a half with one lap left. A speedy transition saw the top eight head for the four-lap run course with a 1:44 minute lead. Vasiliev took immediate charge, clearing past all the men by the first run turn with Fabian trailing hotly. Behind them, Mola had already slashed 20 seconds off his deficit to come within 1:17 on the first lap. Vasiliev’s early push paid off, as he gradually increased his lead with each lap over Fabian, Schwetz, and Luis. On the third lap, Fabian put on his running cap, attempting to reel in Vasiliev, effectively dropping Schwetz and Luis. But the Russian was too strong on Saturday and held his position to earn the European title in 1:42:09. Fabian crossed over seven seconds later in 1:42:16. But the battle for bronze began on the bell lap when Mola smoked the competition and ran himself into third in 1:42:22 despite starting the run nearly two minutes behind the leaders. Junior Men’s Race Dorian Coninx (FRA) is the new Junior European Champion after a scintillating men’s race in Alanya. The Frenchman surprisingly out-ran teammate and pre-race favourite Raphael Montoya in the closing stages of the 5km run. Montoya, whose... Events, Continental Championships, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Europe, 2013-06-15T13:48:43+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/klamer_earns_first_european_title http://www.triathlon.org/site/klamer_earns_first_european_title#When:15:17:33Z Rachel Klamer (NED) earned her first European title in a down to the line sprint finish in Alanya, Turkey on Friday. In a five-way battle for three medals, Klamer was the one who bumped up her speed in the final metres to beat out Great Britain’s Vicky Holland by just two seconds. Holland took silver, while Vendula Frintova (CZE) scored bronze to taker her second European Championships medal. “It’s so good, I didn’t expect it,” Klamer said. “I’ve had some pretty bad races recently so I was quite nervous. But I love racing here, I’ve won three times before and I thought if I won today it would be fantastic.” The day began with 39 women diving into the ocean. Just as she did at the World Triathlon Madrid, Spain’s Carolina Routier bolted out to the front on the swim to lead the women’s field into the first transition. Klamer was hot on her heels and together with 16 more women, the leaders took off for the bike course with a 48-second advantage. With pre-race favourites Ainhoa Murua (ESP), Rebecca Robisch (GER) and Emmie Charayron (FRA) off to a slow start, the lead pack seized the first lap to put what turned out to be an insurmountable distance between themselves and the chase group. While Robisch fought to close the gap, with the large front field working together to take turns pulling at the helm, the German couldn’t bridge up over the six bike laps. Ahead of her, veterans like Jessica Harrison (FRA) and Anja Knapp (GER) pushed the pace, methodically adding precious seconds to their lead with each lap. Determined to avenge her missed podium from last year, Harrison jutted out to the front of the competition early in the four-lap 10km run, with Frintova answering the challenging pace. But Harrison couldn’t maintain the rhythm and was overtaken by Klamer, Holland, Annamaria Mazzetti (ITA), Oleksandra Stepanenko (UKR) by the midway mark. Mazzetti shined on the third lap, moving to the front of the five-deep pack. But her move was ill timed as the eventual-medallists sat back to wait for the bell lap where Klamer and Holland perfectly timed a last-minute break. The duo sprinted away, with Klamer just outracing Holland in 1:55:43 while the Brit crossed over in 1:55:45. The win was Klamer’s fourth in Alanya, having won three European Cups here in the last four years. Frintova held on for third, fending off Mazzetti in 1:55:53. Junior Women After a couple of months out due to injury, Georgia Taylor-Brown showed no ill effects in what was... Events, Continental Championships, Regions, Europe, 2013-06-14T15:17:33+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/european_triathlon_championships_set_for_turkey http://www.triathlon.org/site/european_triathlon_championships_set_for_turkey#When:08:56:35Z As is becoming customary in ITU racing, fast running will no doubt shape the podium this weekend in the elite races at the 2013 Alanya ETU Triathlon European Championships. With backhalf speedsters like Non Stanford, Mario Mola and Alessandro Fabian on the women’s and men’s start lists, expect this year’s championship to come down to a smoking battle on the finish chute. Elite Women Germany’s Rebecca Robisch appears to be in excellent form. She has finished second in every International race in 2013, at Quarteira, Antalya and Cremona. Will it be fourth time lucky for Robisch to take top spot? Although cementing a podium place in a European Championship, where her previous best has been 14th in Athlone in 2010, would be a huge result for the German. Agnieszka Jerzyk (POL) also comes into the race in fine form following victory at the ITU European Cup in Banyoles early last month. But the saying goes: form is temporary, class is permanent and among the field is a dearth of talent and experience and the likes of Vendula Frintova (CZE), Emmie Charayron (FRA), Rachel Klamer (NED) and Ainhoa Murua (ESP) are but a handful of contenders. 2011 European Champion Charayron couldn’t quite defend her title in Eilat last year, but still secured a third place podium finish. Murua was runner up last year and already has a podium place under her belt this year from Banyoles. Frintova hasn’t raced on European soil since the World Series race in Stockholm in August last year but is a quality performer. Elite Women Start List Elite Men Russia’s Ivan Vasiliev may be the man to watch this year. With a bronze medal at last year’s European Championships, he currently sits fifth in the World Rankings after four races of the World Triathlon Series, but is coming into form with a 4th place at Yokohama and 3rd place in Madrid. The most encouraging aspect for Vasiliev is his pedigree here in Alanya. In 2012, he won the European Cup race and he finished 3rd in the 2011 European Cup. Although the course has been tweaked since those events he is clearly fond of this location. In the absence of defending Champion Javier Gomez and double European Champion Alistair Brownlee, the men’s race is wide open. With Jonny Brownlee also absent, British interest will fall on Adam Bowden, who has impressed with two top 8 finishes in the World Triathlon Series this year. Compatriot Dmitry Polyanskiy will fight closely with Vasiliev, as will the French pair of Pierre Le Corre and... Events, Continental Championships, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Europe, 2013-06-11T08:56:35+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/blueseventy_partners_with_pruhealth_world_triathlon_grand_final_london http://www.triathlon.org/site/blueseventy_partners_with_pruhealth_world_triathlon_grand_final_london#When:09:05:18Z ITU is pleased to announce organisers of the 2013 PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London have partnered with the leading wetsuit and swimming brand blueseventy for the championship race. This year marks the fourth time the ITU World Triathlon Series has staged an event in London but the first time that London hosts the Grand Final. The PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final races will be held at the iconic Olympic venue in Hyde Park on 11-15 September 2013, giving all athletes the opportunity to compete on the same stage as London 2012 Olympians. “We are very excited blueseventy will be a partner of the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London,” ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado said. “blueseventy not only make outstanding products, they share our belief in the benefits of triathlon.” blueseventy will be active in working directly with participants of the event, which will welcome 8,500 athletes from all over the world. The swim section takes place in the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park where most, if not all, participants will be wearing wetsuits. Tim Moxey, CEO of blueseventy said: “We are delighted to announce our support of the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London. Our wetsuits have already proven themselves in the Serpentine, having come out of the water first in both the men’s and women’s races last summer. “For many people the opportunity to race at the Olympic venue will be a career highlight. Our experience of having produced and fitted the fastest wetsuits for the last twenty years should enable us to help them perform at their best, so we are looking forward to being actively involved with training days, offering advice and being there in September.” The PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London will be available live on TV to an international audience of more than 160 countries, as well as streamed online. Upsolut, the marketing agency of the ITU World Triathlon Series and an agency of the Lagardere Unlimited Group, brokered the partnership. Tim Stemp, Chief Commercial Officer of the ITU World Triathlon Series said, “The rapid growth of triathlon in the UK and around the world provides a varied and enthusiastic participant base for the World Triathlon Series. blueseventy creates excellent products and provides expertise to our audiences to meet their sporting aspirations.”   The event is being organised in partnership between Upsolut Sports UK and British Triathlon and is part... Age Group, Events, World Championship Series, Regions, 2013-06-10T09:05:18+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/weekend_race_roundup http://www.triathlon.org/site/weekend_race_roundup#When:07:37:51Z With the World Triathlon Season at its midway mark, continental cup races roared into action in Europe and Mexico. Events were fast and furious in Cremona, while Mexicans cleaned up at the Pan American Cup on home soil. 2013 Cremona ITU Sprint Triathlon European Cup Oscar Vicente secured the first European Cup of his career with victory at the ITU European Sprint race in Cremona. It was a rocket fuelled race which handed Vicente victory, his 15:32 5km split time was the fastest of the day and allowed him to work his way out of the lead group of five athletes after T2, to cross the line in first place. Germany’s Jonathan Zipf secured his first podium finish since 2008 with a fantastic second place. He just held off the challenge of young Belgian athlete, Jelle Geens, who finished third. Elite Men Results Australia’s Tamsyn Moana-Veale returned to European triathlon racing in style with victory in the ITU European Sprint Cup in Cremona. The Australian went one better than last year’s second place on the same course, winning an intense race in a time of 1:02:52. She just edged out Germany’s Rebecca Robisch, who also bettered last year’s third place finish with the runners up spot. Fellow German Lisa Sieburger earned her first European podium place with an impressive third place finish. Elite Women Results 2013 Ixtapa ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup Mexican Olympian Claudia Rivas proved no competition for the women’s field at the Ixtapa Pan American Cup, as she stormed to the win by nearly four minutes. Rivas broke away to ride solo on the bike for a lead far too great to surpass, winning easily in 2:08:40. Vanesa De La Torre (MEX) clocked in next at 2:12:39 with the fastest run split of the day, while Andrea B Gutierrez (MEX) was third in 2:13:48. Women’s results The men’s race saw a much closer battle for the podium with the top four all finishing under 1:57:00. Rodrigo Gonzalez broke away from a big lead pack and ran his way into the top position for a final time of 1:55:19. Carlos Arcadia (MEX) attempted to keep pace, finishing closing to Gonzalez in 1:55:34. Abraham Castellanos (MEX) exited the water in third position and maintained his through the race for bronze in 1:56:21. Men’s Results All European files by David Peddie Events, Continental Cup, Multisports, Sprint Distance Triathlon, Regions, Americas, Europe, 2013-06-10T07:37:51+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/chicago_named_host_of_2015_itu_world_triathlon_grand_final http://www.triathlon.org/site/chicago_named_host_of_2015_itu_world_triathlon_grand_final#When:15:01:13Z ITU today named Chicago as the host city for the 27th edition of the 2015 World Triathlon Grand Final. In preparation for the Grand Final, Chicago will also host a World Triathlon Series event in 2014. “We are thrilled to bring the championship final of our World Triathlon Series to Chicago, which has a strong history of hosting world class sporting events,” ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado said. “USA Triathlon has also been active in organising several World Triathlon Series races in the last several years. We are confident their combined experience will produce an excellent World Championship event.”  The 2015 event will mark the first time the United States has hosted the Grand Final elite races in nearly 20 years, with Cleveland having organised the race in 1996. The US also hosted the second-ever World Championships in Orlando in 1990, as well as the Age Group Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii in 2005.  Last year marked the debut of San Diego’s appearance on the ITU World Triathlon Series calendar, becoming the second U.S. city to host a round of the series after Washington, D.C. in 2009. The Chicago Sports Commission has played an integral role in bringing the international series to the city, which will organized in conjunction with USA Triathlon and Lagardere Unlimited.  “I am honored to announce Chicago will be joining the ranks of other global cities as a host of the ITU World Triathlon Series, beginning in 2014,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “With our gorgeous Lake Michigan setting, fervor for sports, and international demographics, Chicago is an ideal venue for this illustrious event. We look forward to welcoming these world-class athletes and their fans to Chicago and are certain that they will all have a wonderful time.”  In addition to crowning the 2015 ITU World Champions, the event will also name world champions in junior and U23 categories, as well as Paratriathlon, which will debut in the Paralympics at Rio 2016. After record-high numbers of age-group triathletes descended on Auckland in 2012, thousands of athletes from around the world are expected to travel to Chicago. The ITU Triathlon World Championships were first held in Avignon, France in 1989. In 2009, the championships were revamped, expanding the former single-day World Championship race into an exciting multi-city global series, culminating with the ITU Triathlon World Championship Grand Final. Athletes earn points... Events, World Championship Series, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, 2013-06-07T15:01:13+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/the_social_story_at_wtsmadrid http://www.triathlon.org/site/the_social_story_at_wtsmadrid#When:15:57:51Z [View the story “The social story at #WTSMadrid” on Storify] Events, World Championship Series, Regions, 2013-06-03T15:57:51+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/madrid_elite_mens_race_review_2013 http://www.triathlon.org/site/madrid_elite_mens_race_review_2013#When:11:39:21Z Jonathan Brownlee‘s season might only be two races in, but the reigning ITU World Champion showed his title defence was back on track with another stunning performance in Madrid on Sunday. After making a brilliant return from an ankle injury in Yokohama last month, Brownlee was again in the lead from almost start to finish to win his second consecutive race in the 2013 ITU World Triathlon Series season. It was also his second consecutive win in Madrid as well as keeps the race title in the Brownlee family. Since the series started in 2009 only Jonathan and brother Alistair Brownlee have topped the podium in the Casa de Campo park. On Sunday, Brownlee was in the lead group out of the water before driving the pace in a five-man breakaway for the 40km bike leg. They left T2 with over a minute and a half on the rest of the field and within the first few hundred metres Brownlee strode to the front and made it clear he was the one to beat. He had put 16 seconds on Spain’s Javier Gomez on the first lap alone, before going on to claim his sixth ITU World Triathlon Series win by 50 seconds in a time of 1 hour 50 minutes and 42 seconds. “It’s a good triathlon course this one, as I keep saying it’s a pure triathlon course,” Brownlee said. “Our group was incredible there, all the other riders did turns throughout the race and it was a fair race I think, so I enjoyed it but it was tough, it’s always tough.”  The day started under blue skies and there were no surprises at Casa de Campo on the non-wetsuit swim. The always strong Ivan Vasiliev (RUS), who finished just outside of the podium in Madrid last year on his way to securing an Olympic spot, was determined to put himself in a top position before heading for the tough bike course. He did just that, followed by his teammate Igor Polyanskiy, younger brother Denis Vasiliev (RUS), Richard Varga (SVK), Gomez (ESP) and Brownlee (GBR). Brownlee’s pre-race plan to push the swim pace and break away with a small group on the bike played out perfectly. Together, with Italy’s Alessandro Fabian and 2012 Under23 World Champion Aaron Royle (AUS), the group quickly hammered up the first hill for a sizeable advantage. The speed proved too much for Varga and Denis Vasiliev dropping back early in the bike, while top five forged ahead. The high sun and challenging hill did nothing to slow the fast five, with the group increasing their lead on each lap. Behind them two chase groups became one on the fifth lap and with... Events, World Championship Series, Media Centre, Event Release, Press Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, 2013-06-02T11:39:21+00:00