http://www.triathlon.org/news/ en merryn.sherwood@gmail.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-31T22:30:08+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_level_2_coaching_course_in_subic_bay_philippines/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_level_2_coaching_course_in_subic_bay_philippines/#When:17:31:32Z ITU Development was in the Philippines this past week for an ITU Level 2 Coaching Course in Subic Bay. With the increasing presence of Asian triathletes on the world stage, it is such programmes that will not only ensure they are here to stay, but also pave the way for a new generation of high level coaches.  The five day course is a development initiative focusing on advancing coaching levels in the Philippines and Asian region. Funded by Olympic Solidarity with the support of the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines, participants attended from Egypt, Iran, Philippines, Singapore and Zimbabwe. Anthony Lozada from the Philippines believes the course not only offered knowledge, but also encouragement. “The course has not only equipped me with the necessary tools to produce elite level athletes, the ITU facilitators also inspired me to pursue this challenging task,” said Lozada. The three ITU facilitators imparting their expertise were Luc Morin from Canada, Sergio Santos from Portugal and Libby Burrell, Director of ITU Development. “The course is a great opportunity for coaches to gather and be exposed to current methods and the experiences of our facilitators,” said Burrell. “We are always lucky to have the invaluable support and enthusiasm of everyone involved. It is really an encouragement for the development in Asia.” The course also welcomed Triathlon Association of the Philippines President and ITU Executive Board member, Tom Carrasco who travelled to Subic Bay to meet with the group on Wednesday and Thursday. ASTC Development Coordinator Ki Woo Kyung was also in attendance at the applied course that integrates sports science with the specific preparation, planning and evaluation of the ITU junior and U23 triathlete. Regions, Asia, Sport Development 2012-02-03T17:31:32+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_set_for_mooloolaba_and_huatulco_in_2012/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_set_for_mooloolaba_and_huatulco_in_2012/#When:00:31:56Z The Team ITU programme will have an added Olympic boost in 2012, with the two ITU World Cup events selected within the Olympic qualifying period. The primary objective of the development programme is to provide support, resources and expertise to athletes from emerging and developing National Federations, who have the potential to qualify for London 2012, to compete at a World Cup level. This year the first Team ITU event will be the 2012 Mooloolaba World Cup, in Australia on March 25th. The next is the 2012 Huatulco World Cup, in Mexico on May 6th.  The points gathered from both go directly towards athletes’ qualifying totals for London, as the the official Olympic qualifying period doesn’t close until 31 May 2012. “Since the inception of the Team ITU project in 2006, athletes and coaches alike place a high value on the benefit the on-site support (coaches, physiotherapists and bike mechanics) in terms of their performance.  ITU is excited to be able to continue with this programme in this very important Olympic year,” said Libby Burrell, Director of ITU Development. “The team will target prospective Olympic participants from the developing and emerging nations.” The support includes a travel stipend, accommodation and meals as well as the priceless support of a world class coaching team, including specialised triathlon coaches, physiotherapists and bike technicians. Developing NFs may nominate a maximum of 2 men and 2 women. The application deadline for Mooloolaba is Februrary 6 and the deadline for Huatulco is March 30.  Click here more information, including application forms. “Post London 2012, the new phase of Team ITU will begin with the World Junior and U23 Camp in Auckland, New Zealand where a new crop of talented athletes will have the opportunity to be noticed by the ITU coaches and the march towards Rio 2016 will begin,” said Burrell. Team ITU celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2011 with a blockbuster year. The programme has helped names like Sweden’s Lisa Norden, Chile’s Barbara Riveros Diaz and South Africa’s Kate Roberts find their feet on the elite circuit quickly. Norden and Riveros Diaz are now ITU World Champions, after capturing the sprint world titles in 2010 and 2011 respectively. It also has a record of meeting its Olympic goals, all four of the programme’s very first athletes back in 2006 – Mari Rabie, Flora Duffy, Roberts and Norden – all competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In 2011 the programme... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Press Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2012-01-17T00:31:56+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/coaches_accredited_to_facilitate_itu_certified_coaching_courses_in_2012/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/coaches_accredited_to_facilitate_itu_certified_coaching_courses_in_2012/#When:02:25:02Z ITU Development is pleased to be able to announce the updated list of coaches accredited to facilitate ITU certified coaching courses in 2012. According to Libby Burrell, ITU Development Director: “Coach education forms the cornerstone of all good development programmes and the ITU Development programme is no exception.  We are extremely thankful to the National Federations for their support in allowing their coaches to dedicate many of their already long hours to helping us grow and develop coaches globally.” “It’s exciting to begin another year of ITU coach education with such a dedicated team of world class coaches that will help strengthen and develop triathlon around the world. Last year we not only furthered coaching at the elite level, but took our Level 1 Coaching and Community Courses to countries like Mozambique and Tonga for the very first time. This Olympic year promises to offer more firsts, and I look forward to working with everyone in the ITU’s coaching courses to help achieve them.” The first ITU coaching course of 2012 is in the Philippines at the end of January, further courses will be posted here when scheduled. ITU Coaches Level 2 (Competitive) Course Africa: Libby Burrell (RSA) Americas: Luc Morin (CAN), Gale Bernhardt (USA), Bobby McGee (USA)* Europe: Antonio Miguel Jourdan (POR)*, Sergio Santos (POR) Oceania: Mick Delamotte (AUS), Craig Redman (AUS), Jamie Turner (AUS) ITU Coaches Level 1 (Club) Course Africa: Libby Burrell (RSA), Franz Studer (RSA/SUI) Americas: Rodrigo Milazzo (BRA), Luc Morin (CAN), Roberto Solano (CRC), Claudia Beristain (MEX), Gale Bernhardt (USA), Alan Ley (USA), Bobby McGee (USA)* Europe: Zeljko Bijuk (CRO), Tibor Lehmann (HUN), Antonio Miguel Jourdan (POR), Sergio Santos (POR), Grega Zore (SLO), Milos Petelin (SLO), Franz Studer (SUI/RSA) Oceania: Peter Clifford (AUS), Warwick Dalziel (AUS), Mick Delamotte (AUS), Craig Redman (AUS), Jamie Turner (AUS), Barry Larsen (NZL), Brett Reid (NZL) ITU Community Level Course Africa: Libby Burrell (RSA), Franz Studer (RSA/SUI) Americas: Rodrigo Milazzo (BRA), Luc Morin (CAN), Roberto Solano (CRC), Claudia Beristain (MEX), Gale Bernhardt (USA), Alan Ley (USA), Bobby McGee (USA)* Asia: Mori Mitsuru (JPN), Stephanie Chok (MAS), Ashiq Idris (SIN) Europe: Zeljko Bijuk (CRO), Tibor Lehmann (HUN), Antonio Miguel Jourdan (POR), Sergio Santos (POR), Grega Zore (SLO), Milos Petelin (SLO), Franz Studer (SUI/RSA) Oceania: Peter Clifford (AUS), Silas Cullen (AUS),... Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2012-01-13T02:25:02+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_technical_education_continues_to_grow_in_2011/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_technical_education_continues_to_grow_in_2011/#When:23:58:05Z The statistics of the ITU Technical Education programme show that the sports development is in safe hands, as the programme’s reach continued to grow in 2011. Overall since 2009, when the ITU technical education programme was restructured, there has been double the number of technical courses and as a result, a 50 per cent increase in the participation. This year a total of 383 participants took part in 26 courses held in 21 different host countries. Facilitator courses also boosted the technical education programme, as well as the strict criteria in place for those attending the courses since 2010. This explains the reduced number of Level 2 Participants, but at the same time, the numbers of Community Level and Level 1 course have increased. Since 2009, 162 technical officials have successfully attended the Level 2 course, and have now become the core group of officials who are assigned as Technical Delegates at each ITU events. In 2011, the Level 3 course was introduced and at this stage Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania have certified their Level 3 officials. Next year the same programme will target the Americas. The Paratriathlon courses are still under a restructure process, particularly with the expected changes in the classification system. See below for a breakdown of participation and courses held in each continential federation. For more information on technical education, please click here and here.   Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development, Technical 2011-12-21T23:58:05+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/register_now_for_the_first_itu_level_2_competitive_coaches_course_in_2012/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/register_now_for_the_first_itu_level_2_competitive_coaches_course_in_2012/#When:01:13:46Z Applications for the first ITU coaching in 2012, in the Phillippines, are now open. The ITU Level 2 Competitive Coaching course will be held in Subic Bay, from January 30 to February 3, 2012. The destination has played host to many ITU and ATSC events, including ITU Asian Cup events since 2004, Asian Triathlon and Duathlon Championships. This regional course is funded by Olympic Solidarity with the support of the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines, and is a development initiative with the objective to advance the level of coaching in the National Federation of the Philippines as well as in Asia as a region. Olympic Solidarity’s aim is to organise assistance for all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), particularly those with the greatest needs, so that they can develop their own structures to favour the expansion of sport in their country. The course will be presented by certified ITU facilitators, including ITU Development Director Libby Burrell and top elite coaches, Sergio Santos (Portugal) and Luc Morin (Canada). This five day applied course integrates sport sciences with the specific preparation, planning and evaluation of the ITU junior and U23 triathletes, and has strict attendance requirements with the overall objective to work towards an improved standard of coaching on all levels. To view the course prerequisites please click here. While the participants will be drawn primarily from the local coaching community of the Philippines, nominations from active triathlon coaches in Asia are welcome to apply to attend the course. Five slots will be available for coaches from other regions outside of Asia and those national federations without their own coach certification programme wanting their coaches to be considered for the course should submit an application on behalf of these coaches. All application forms must be submitted by the national federations in order to be considered for the course. Applications close on December 30, 2011. All questions regarding applications for the Subic Bay ITU Level 2 Competitive Coaching course can be directed to katrina.evans@triathlon.org. For more information, including the application form, please click here. For more information on the ITU’s coach education programme, click here. Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2011-12-07T01:13:46+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/successful_itu_level_2_competitive_coaching_course_in_chiba_japan/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/successful_itu_level_2_competitive_coaching_course_in_chiba_japan/#When:00:27:08Z A new generation of coaches in Asia have moved on to the next stage of development, with 22 coaching candidates from five different countries taking part in the five-day ITU Level 2 Competitive Coaching Course in Chiba, Japan. The participants came from Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Chinese Taipei and most are current national team coaches; coaching elite, U23, and junior athletes. The Level 2 competitive coaches’ education course is an applied course that integrates sport sciences with triathlon specific preparation, planning and evaluation of the competitive Junior and U23 athletes. It provided these national team coaches with a great opportunity to learn about training theories, as well as new skills and drills. ATSC Sport Development Co-ordinator Ki Woo Kyung said that the three ITU facilitators and coaches, Luc Morin from Canada, Sergio Santos from Portugal, and Miguel Jordan from Portugal, helped encourage teamwork in the group. “The three experts have conducted each session very professionally by giving group works to make Asian coaches work together as a team. Every participant looks happy to enjoy the every session in cooperative mood,” he said. Yamane Hedeki, Japanese National Team Head Coach, expressed his thanks. “I would like to thank ITU and ASTC for providing this wonderful opportunities to learn about new coaching approaches and think about what we have been coaching our athletes.” Steven Chan, Singapore Coaching Committee Advisor, said it was an important step in further improving Asia’s results on the world stage. “This is a great course and it was a great honour to be part of the course with some of the best coaches in Asia. We also gained a lot of insight to how we can improve our training plans for our athletes from the very experienced presenters who are coaching the top triathlon team in the world. I feel that such courses in Asia are very important to bring up the standard of coaches here and hopefully with that, it can also bring up the standard of our athletes.” According to Libby Burrell, Director of ITU Development, the ongoing education of coaches is the cornerstone of development on all levels. The ITU coach education courses, with the accent on the applied coaching, has resulted in the steady improvement of athlete performances around the globe.  For this reason coach education will always play a key role in the work being done by the ITU Development Department. “We are very lucky to have so many... Regions, Asia, Sport Development 2011-11-28T00:27:08+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/all_africa_games_legacy_starts_with_club_and_community_course_in_mozambique/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/all_africa_games_legacy_starts_with_club_and_community_course_in_mozambique/#When:00:48:29Z Triathlon’s first appearance in the All Africa Games in Maputo has already left a powerful legacy for the sport in Mozambique, with the first ITU Level 1 Club and Community Coaching Course this month helping to turn the interest sparked by the Games into a new generation of coaches. ITU coaching facilitator Rodrigo Milazzo, from Brazil, presented the course to 12 coaches from the newly established National Federation from November 16 to 19. The four-day course attracted coaches from a wide from a wide variety of backgrounds. ITU Development Co-ordinator for ATU, Travis Campbell, said that each participant couldn’t wait to learn. “The participants were 100% committed and hungry for knowledge. It was clear from the very first session that the people participating really wanted to be there and this made for a great four days,” he said. “I believe the course was a great success and will go a long way to growing the sport of triathlon in Mozambique.” Photo: The first ever ITU Level 1 Club and Community Coaching Course in Mozambique. Another important part of the course was that Milazzo presented in Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique. African Triathlon Union President Liesbeth Stoltz said that this hadn’t only been an important part of delivering the course successfully, but a representation of triathlon’s international reach. “The great work done by ATU along with UMT (Mozambique Triathlon Federation) during this year in the lead up to the All African Games has sparked incredible interest in the sport in Mozambique and we are delighted to be able to continue to work with UMT in making sure they reach their objective of becoming a major force in triathlon in Africa,” Burrell said. “I have no doubt that with the enthusiasm of Mr. Rodrigo Rocha at the helm of this new federation their objective can become a reality.” ITU Director of Development, Libby Burrell. “While we manage triathlon according to the world’s geographical regions, we had the opportunity to recognise language diversity and share in intercontinental co-operation when ITU facilitator Rodrigo Milazzo presented the course in Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique,” she said. Overall, the participants in the course covered the basics of swim, bike, run and transitions along with teaching and learning theories. Rodrigo Rocha, President of Mozambique Triathlon (UMT), said he hoped that all of the participants would continue to be involved from now on. “The course was... Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2011-11-27T00:48:29+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/plenty_for_team_itu_to_take_away_from_tough_auckland_world_cup/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/plenty_for_team_itu_to_take_away_from_tough_auckland_world_cup/#When:23:24:17Z In the week where Team ITU celebrated it’s fifth year anniversary, it was fitting that ITU Development Director Libby Burrell said the tough 2011 Auckland World Cup became a learning experience that will help propel these athletes further, in line with the original goals of the development programme. The team of Korea’s Min Ho Heo, Slovenia’s Mateja Simic, Estonia’s Aleksandr Latin, Monaco’s Herve Banti, Morocco’s Medhi Essadiq and Serbia’s Ognjen Stojanovic all started well, but just couldn’t match early season form on one of the toughest ITU courses all year. In the women’s field, Simic rode up the front of the first chase group for all of the bike leg, claimed the ninth fastest bike split of the day and eventually finished in 18th position. The men in Team ITU started strongly right from the swim, they all exited within 23 seconds of each other in the top 25, with Stojanovic claiming the seventh fastest swim split of the day. He ended up finishing in 38th spot, while Banti ran into 22nd. At the end, the tough Auckland course had claimed 19 of the 57 men’s starters and Heo, Essadiq and Latin all did not finish. Burrell, the Team ITU head coach, said that while there were a number of little victories for each athlete, overall it was a great chance to them to learn and come back in 2012 ready to reach new heights. “Today was a learning experience for most of the athletes in the race because the challenging course gave everyone the opportunity to find out something about themselves.  While many of our team members experienced ‘little’ victories in the race with ‘best ever’ swims and brave and very much better bike legs than in previous events, on the whole they found the long season of chasing Olympic ranking points around the globe left them rather ‘empty’ on resources for this race,” Burrell said. “The most important thing coming away from this event is the fact that each athlete now walks away at the end of the 2011 season with valuable lessons about the things that they need to address to be able to come back in 2012 better equipped to perform to their potential. “This is the ultimate goal of the Team ITU project.  It is a processed orientated approach to provide the athletes with the opportunity to gather the tools to equip them with the rigours of top level racing. I am convinced we have been successful in doing just that.” The 2011 Team ITU programme ran at three World Cup events in 2011, Mooloolaba, Edmonton and Auckland. A total... Events, World Cup, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2011-11-20T23:24:17+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_celebrates_five-year_anniversary_at_auckland_world_cup/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_celebrates_five-year_anniversary_at_auckland_world_cup/#When:06:24:21Z A little over five years ago, ITU Development Director Libby Burrell decided to act on a trend she spotted. Triathletes from smaller, developing National Federations (NFs) were competing at World Cup events, but with no other teammates and no support staff, often struggled on race day to match it with those who had. So Burrell decided to create a solution, what was then known as Team BG Elite Athlete Development Project (EADP). The very first qualification document outlined the primary objective as ‘providing support, resources and expertise to elite athletes from emerging/developing National Federations to compete at a World Cup level,’. One of the key aims was to try and help these athletes, who had already shown elite potential but perhaps not possess the resources to take it that step further, to reach their Olympic goal. WHERE IT ALL STARTED The first team, at the 2006 BG Triathlon World Cup in Beijing, comprised Flora Duffy (BER), Kate Roberts (RSA), Mari Rabie (RSA) and Lisa Norden (SWE). As well as supporting each other in a team, they had access to elite level coaching, a bike mechanic and physiotherapist, an elite support team to equal the best in the world. Just two years later at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, those first goals were reached as all four girls became Olympians. Now, five years later, Team ITU has evolved into much more. The programme’s alumni like Norden and Barbara Riveros Diaz have gone on to be the first athletes from their respective countries to win an ITU World Championship, after they claimed the sprint distance world titles in 2010 and 2011 respectively. The range of developing federations continues to expand, this year athletes from Slovenia, Colombia, Estonia, Monaco, Morocco, Korea, Serbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Israel, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Barbados have all been part of the programme at World Cup events in Mooloolaba, Edmonton and Auckland. Burrell said this week it had achieved everything she hoped and more. “My main reason for launching this project was because I noticed how hard it was for athletes from small NFs travelling alone to far off places with no other teammates and no support staff.  I felt if we put this team together we could join together the ‘solo’ athletes into a ‘team’ where they feel part of a group and have the necessary support to allow them to compete on an equal footing with other athletes from larger nations,” Burrell said. “The concept was an immediate success and we noticed in... Events, World Cup, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2011-11-18T06:24:21+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_announced_for_2011_auckland_itu_world_cup/ http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_announced_for_2011_auckland_itu_world_cup/#When:15:58:08Z Korea’s Min Ho Heo achieved a personal and Korean best at the last ITU World Cup event in Tongyeong, now he has a chance to improve that even further with his selection in Team ITU for the final world cup event this year in Auckland. Ho Heo finished fifth in Tongyeong, beating his own personal best and previous Korean record of sixth-place, in a World Cup event. Now he’s primed to take on the world in the final ITU World Cup of 2011, along with five other athletes, with the backing of some of the world’s best support staff. In addtition to Heo, the athletes are: Mateja Simic, Aleksandr Latin, Hervé Banti, Medhi Essadiq and Ognjen Stojanovic One of the fundamental goals of Team ITU is provide support, resources and expertise to elite athletes from developing National Federations to compete at the highest level.  Members of Team ITU receive funds for travel and accommodation but most importantly, athletes have access to a world class coaching and support team.  In Auckland, that includes the ITU’s Director of Development, Libby Burrell, coach Mick Delamotte (AUS), physiotherapist and trainer Teresa Schuemann (USA) and bike mechanic Dan Bricknell (AUS). It’s through this team. In the men’s team, Heo will be joined by Estonia’s Aleksandr Latin, Monaco’s Hervé Banti, Morocco’s Mehdi Essadiq and Serbia’s Ognjen Stojanovic. This will be Latin’s fifth World Cup this year, after Mooloolaba, Ishigaki, Edmonton and Tongyeong, and the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series events in Hamburg and Yokohama. Banti could definitely be one to watch after recording his best World Cup finish this year in Edmonton, with ninth, followed by 14th place in Tongyeong just a few weeks ago. Essadiq is a regular performer on the African ITU circuit, and has regularly competed in ITU World Cups and Dextro Energy Triathlon Series rounds in the past trhee seasons. Serbia’s Stojanovic has been identified as a talent to watch for a while now, and this year increased his workload to an impressive 11 ITU races, including World Cups in Ishigaki, Edmonton and Huatulco and series rounds in Hamburg, Beijing and Yokohama - that’s still with the Guatape and Auckland World Cups to come. Mateja Simic, the Slovenian mother who won her nation’s first World Cup medal in Edmonton this year, is also part of the team. Simic claimed silver in that race, her first World Cup podium. She’s continued on that strong form in her last two World Cup races, with a fifth place in... Events, World Cup, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Sport Development 2011-10-27T15:58:08+00:00