http://www.triathlon.org/news/ en merryn.sherwood@gmail.com Copyright 2012 2012-04-25T08:21:07+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/stoltz_and_mcquaid_aim_to_defend_their_titles_at_itu_cross_triathlon_world_ http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/stoltz_and_mcquaid_aim_to_defend_their_titles_at_itu_cross_triathlon_world_#When:05:12:47Z Last year was a historic one for Cross Triathlon, after four years of continental championships ITU hosted its first world titles in Extremadura, Spain. Over 400 athletes competed across the elite, junior, age-group and paratriathlon categories in the swim, mountain bike and cross-country run discipline. This year, the sport takes another step forward as ITU partners with XTERRA for the second edition for the 2012 Shelby County ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships and XTERRA Southeast Championships. Oak Mountain State Park, located in the southernmost part of the Appalachian Chain, boasts a trail praised by competitors as one of the most fun, fast, scenic and difficult with credit attributed to the work of Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP) along with Alabama’s DCNR State Park Division, Shelby County and the City of Pelham. BUMP has spent more than 100,000 hours in design and construction of new trails over the past 20 years. The event will feature $20,000 USD in prize money for elite athletes, who will compete over a 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike and 10km trail run. Elite Women’s Preview Canada’s Melanie McQuaid took out the first ITU Cross Triathlon world title in Spain last year, and will return to defend it in Alabama as will the two other women who finished on the podium with her in Extremadura, the USA’s Shonny Vanlandingham and Emma Garrard. However, it’s a tough field to pick a favourite, as McQuaid, Vanlandingham, Switzerland’s Renata Bucher and Great Britain’s Lesley Paterson all have good form on the course in Shelby County. Last year, McQuaid bettered Vanlandingham and Bucher in the podium 1-2-3, but in 2010 it was Vanlandingham who beat McQuaid to the title as Paterson claimed bronze. McQuaid won in 2009, with Paterson collecting silver, while Vanlandingham won in 2008, where Paterson finished third. Adding to the competition is that Bucher and Paterson, who took out last year’s XTERRA world title, had to have a photo to decide who won in Las Vegas just last week, showing that the battle for the podium is set to be a thrilling one here. Vanlandingham, the 2010 XTERRA World Champion who is making her return from an ACL injury in this race, said earlier this year it was no surprise that a strong women’s field was competing. “I’ve raced all over the world, and I just love coming back to Oak Mountain every year. It is perhaps the best course in the nation,” she said. Others to watch include Canada’s Danelle Kabush and Austria’s... Media Centre, Event Release, Multisports, Cross Triathlon, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-15T05:12:47+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/jonathan_brownlee_starts_season_2012_with_dominating_win_in_san_diego http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/jonathan_brownlee_starts_season_2012_with_dominating_win_in_san_diego#When:00:33:58Z Great Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee kicked off his Olympic season with a dominant performance in San Diego, winning his second ITU World Triathlon Series event ahead of Switzerland’s Sven Riederer and South Africa’s Richard Murray. In the race that had a huge impact on the Olympic picture, Brownlee was part of a small break at the start of the bike. However that didn’t last long, as a huge pack of over 50 athletes hit T2 together. From there it came down to the run, and Brownlee and Murray charged to the front on the first lap. They went toe to toe for almost half of the 10km run, before Brownlee laid down the trademark family kick to win in 1 hour 48 minutes and 47 seconds, his first race in almost seven months. “For me it was the first race of the season, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Brownlee said. “Seven months is a long time out, I was in a bit of shock at the race briefing thinking wow, ‘It’s been a long long time since I’ve been in one of these,’ I went into the race very relaxed really because I knew I didn’t have to do anything, I didn’t have to finish top nine, top four or anything, I just had to race my own race, and yeah, I was pleased.” “The swim and the bike were good, I wasn’t sure what to expect on that, but I have been running well all winter and my cross country races have been good. I felt good on the run. I felt a bit tired towards the end, I think I lacked a bit of racing there. Sven Riederer is a tough guy, he’s chased me down a few times before, in Beijing he chased me down down and he never gives up. Someone offered me a Yorkshire flag towards the end and I was to tired to take it, I thought I’m not going for that in case I blew up towards the end, I thought that would look a bit silly. It was a good race, I’m pleased to win, it shows that the training has gone well over the winter and I’m looking forward to the next race really.” Behind him, Riederer and Spain’s Mario Mola were catching Murray, and Riederer eventually passed Murray to stamp another series medal onto his resume. It was enough for 2004 Athens Olympics bronze medallist to confirm his London 2012 Olympics spot, and also means he is now the equal most successful man in series history without a win. Riederer now has five medals, three bronze and two silver, alongside Alexander Bryukhankov. Riederer said his race strategy came off perfectly. “I tried to save my energy on the bike, I was riding at the end of the pack and then in the end I was pushing for... Events, World Championship Series, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-13T00:33:58+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/helen_jenkins_dominates_as_triathlon_returns_to_san_diego http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/helen_jenkins_dominates_as_triathlon_returns_to_san_diego#When:23:41:37Z Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins continued her brilliant start to 2012 with a dominating run to crush the field in San Diego, in a race that had a huge impact on London Olympic qualification. After an eight-women bike breakaway put 2 minutes and 30 seconds on the first chase group coming out of T2, Jenkins and Australia’s Erin Densham went to the lead into the first lap of the 10km run. In see-sawing battle between the Australian Olympic hopeful and Jenkins, Densham pulled away to almost 10 metres in front in second lap before Jenkins stunningly reeled in the difference and turned the tables. In an incredible second half, she went ahead to record a time of 1 hour 58 minutes and 21 seconds, over a minute ahead of Densham’s time of 1:59:26. The USA’s Laura Bennett claimed third, her first series podium, and with it her second consecutive Olympic Games berth. Jenkins said it had been hard, but the support on the run had helped her through. “It was just such a good race, we really had to work really hard for that. I really pushed the swim and we really worked hard on the bike and that was hard all the way,” Jenkins said. “I really enjoyed the run course, it was really cool, there was so many people out there supporting…it was awesome.” Densham’s third consecutive major podium for 2012 was a huge boost for her own Olympic selection hopes. Densham was the first Australian, with Emma Moffatt finishing ninth, Ashleigh Gentle 10th, Emma Jackson 14th and Emma Snowsill 17th. So far, only Moffatt has been named in the Australian team for London. “I was hurting out there, I just hope I’ve done enough. Ideally I would have taken a break after Sydney and not raced here, but I’ve had to push through and I really do hope that’s enough,” Densham said. In the nail biting race for the third USA women’s spot, Bennett chose the perfect time to record her first series podium. Given that Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah Groff both qualified their places in London last year, the battle for the third women’s spot was expected to come down to Bennett and another Beijing Olympian Sarah Haskins. It turned out to be exactly that, as both were in metres of each other for almost the entire race. It was only in the final lap of the run that Bennett knew she had claimed her second consecutive Olympic Games spot, after she finished fourth at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. “It’s tough when you have go up against a good friend,” Bennett said. “I put a lot of pressure on this day, last year in... Events, World Championship Series, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-11T23:41:37+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_completes_part_of_olympic_puzzle_in_huatulco http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/team_itu_completes_part_of_olympic_puzzle_in_huatulco#When:20:59:41Z The final Team ITU event of 2012 was designed to help its athletes push towards the London 2012 Olympics, and while they did just that, they know the battle is not just over yet. Huatulco was the final World Cup in the London Olympic Qualification Criteria and therefore the final chance for Team ITU to achieve it’s aim: helping athletes who have the potential to compete at the Olympics at a World Cup level. The team gathered included Mateja Simic (SLO), Elizabeth Bravo (ECU), Fabienne St Louis (MRI), Yuliya Yelistratova (UKR), Leonardo Chacon (CRC), Ognjen Stojanovic (SRB), Michel Gonzalez (CUB), Dan Alterman (ISR), Jason Wilson (BAR) and Carlos Javier Quinchara Forero (COL), athletes from NOCs who could make history. So far, no athlete from Costa Rica, Cuba, Israel, Serbia, Barbados, Slovenia, Ecuador or Mauritius has qualified for an Olympic Games in triathlon before. In the elite women’s race, Yelistratova posted the fastest run of the day 36 minutes and 58 seconds - to cut into a three minute lead from T2 and claim seventh place, with Simic just behind her. The points for both were enough to not just hold on for the Olympic simulation, but move further ahead. For Simic, it was a nice symmetry that Huatulco might seal her Olympic spot, as its where she first entered the Olympics simulation picture last year. But the journey to make the Olympics isn’t quite over yet. “Last year after Huatulco I came into Olympic rankings and I held that the whole winter, but because I was only racing the second year of Olympic ranking, I didn’t know if I could get there in the European new flag spot,” Simic said. “Now after this result in Huatulco, I have am a chance to be in the Olympic qualification points list, but I still must race well in Madrid and San Diego.” It was a sentiment echoed by Quinchara Forero, Colombia’s top ranked male athlete. Colombia have had female athletes qualify for the Olympics before, but Forero would be the first male if he qualified for London. He finished fifth, his equal highest World Cup result, but it wasn’t quite enough to reel in Gonzalo Tellechea, who knocked the Colombian out of the American new flag spot with bronze in Ishigaki. “My process start last year, when I finished ninth in Monterrey and that gave me a real chance at qualifying for the Olympics in the Americas new flag. Then I finished fifth in Guatape, then I thought I was really close but then I got an injury and I couldn’t race and I lost the Americas new flag,”... Events, World Cup, Features, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Sport Development 2012-05-09T20:59:41+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_world_triathlon_series_comes_to_san_diego http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_world_triathlon_series_comes_to_san_diego#When:21:49:23Z This weekend’s race marks an important step in triathlon history, it’s the first time an ITU race has been held in San Diego, the birthplace of modern triathlon. On 25 September 1974 the very first triathletes dove into San Diego’s Mission Bay to complete a 5.3-mile run, followed by a 5-mile bike and a 600-yard swim. Members of the San Diego Track and Field club had organised it as an alternative to track work and 46 of them finished the race. This year the race venue is at Mission Beach, with Mission Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, and to mark just how far triathlon has come, it’s one of the final qualification races for the London 2012 Olympic Games. San Diego is the 14th host city of the ITU World Triathlon Series, and just the second U.S. city to host a round of the series after Washington, D.C. in 2009. Elite Women’s Preview Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins started 2012 where she left off in 2011, and it’s becoming hard to bet against her making the podium anytime she toes the start line in the ITU World Triathlon Series. Jenkins hasn’t finished lower than sixth since Madrid last year, collecting five series medals along the way and started this year with a silver medal in Sydney. But the woman Jenkins finished behind her there, Australia’s Erin Densham, will be on the start line again in Sydney and has a perfect record in top ITU races so far in 2012. First the Beijing Olympian devastated the field at the Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, before taking that form to Sydney to claim her first WTS title. With the Australian Olympic selection still to be finalised, she’s definitely one to watch again, as are her main competitors for those two spots – Emma Snowsill and Emma Jackson. While Emma Moffatt has already been pre-selected, she is also one to watch for the podium in southern California. On the brand new course the home team will have the advantage of hometown knowledge and it’s a strong American women’s team that will line up in San Diego.  Last year’s overall series bronze medallist Sarah Groff will headline the home team, while her fellow London teammate Gwen Jorgensen will also race. But also keep an eye on Sarah Haskins and Laura Bennett, who are considered the front runners to secure the third Olympic spot. It’s an automatic selection race for the USA, and a top-9 finish for any U.S. women - outside of Groff or Jorgensen - will get them to London. Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf, who is a WTS winner, will be looking to... Events, World Championship Series, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-07T21:49:23+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/simon_de_cuyper_takes_debut_itu_world_cup_in_huatulco http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/simon_de_cuyper_takes_debut_itu_world_cup_in_huatulco#When:22:40:08Z While the high temperatures for the women were punishing, the men battled through even more intense conditions in Huatulco at the 2012 ITU Triathlon World Cup. With a start time close to high noon, the men dove into 28.6 degree Celsius water and ran under the sun at its strongest. Like the ebbing water at the swim start, the full moon also seemed to have a tidal affect on the men’s race, as each leg brought in a new wave of leaders. In the end, Simon De Cuyper (BEL), Ryan Sissons (NZL) and Danylo Sapunov (UKR) stood atop the podium. In the beginning, Aurelien Raphael (FRA) exited the water in front with Richard Varga (SVK), to blaze through the first lap of the bike, which gained him a 31-second lead. However, his pace decreased over the next two laps, allowing Joshua Amberger (AUS), Ryan Bailie (AUS) and Andrew Yorke (CAN) to join him. Meanwhile, Sapunov followed a minute behind at the front of the first chase pack. De Cuyper and Sissons were even further behind, sitting in a second chase group nearly two minutes behind the leaders. “In the first lap I felt very bad,” De Cuyper said of his run. “I thought, ‘Lets get water and cool down.’ Once I was fresh, I had some good feeling in my legs. I thought I could push and catch some of the athletes. I came back and suddenly I was in first position.” Led by a monstrous break away from Tyler Butterfield (BER) midway through the bike, the two chase groups united to tackle the treacherous course together. Up ahead, the four leading men, steadily maintained their distance of more than 45 seconds into the final transition. Similar to the women’s race, the second transition was a pivotal point in the leader board for the men. Yorke bolted out in front of the lead group, but a hungry chase pack was out for vengeance by the time they rolled into T2 to rack their bikes. Led by Spain’s Ivan Rana, the men wasted no time hammering out a speedy pace. Yorke, who had previously never placed in the top 20 at a World Cup, blazed through the first two laps seemingly unaffected by the soaring temperatures. Sapunov was also quickly covering ground, pulling within 35 seconds and two places of Yorke on just the first lap of the run. Trailing another 20 seconds behind were De Cuyper and Sissons, patiently waiting to make their move. Their chance came in the third lap when De Cuyper surged to the front, surpassing 13 men including Yorke and Sapunov. Sissons, who had De Cuyper in sight, didn’t miss a beat. He quickened his... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Press Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-06T22:40:08+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/flora_duffy_dominates_in_huatulco_for_first_world_cup_victory http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/flora_duffy_dominates_in_huatulco_for_first_world_cup_victory#When:21:22:44Z Despite an early start time, the elite women competing in Huatulco at the third stop of the 2012 ITU World Cup circuit were confronted with debilitating heat. The high air and water temperatures, combined with a steep climb on the bike and a hilly run, provided the scene for a challenging day. While some athletes fell victim to the brutal conditions, others prevailed, making it a day of “firsts”. With a powerful run, Flora Duffy (BER) claimed the top spot, earning her first World Cup victory. Similarly, Pamela Oliveira (BRA) secured her first-ever World Cup medal, gaining essential Olympic points along the way. Home favourite Claudia Rivas rounded out the top three, making her the first Mexican woman to medal at a World Cup since 1993. “I’m starting to tear up I’m so happy,” Duffy said. “It’s been a long road to get here. Today was a hard race and a hard course, but I think that’s what I needed to make me focus and really push. It totally played to my strengths today.” The three were a part of a lead pack that proved impossible to chase down from early on. Rivas and Oliveira led the ladies out of the swim. With a quick transition, Oliveira wasted no time using her strong bike legs to conquer the monster 24% grade hill.  By the first lap, the top finishers, along with Alexandra Razarenova (RUS), Line Jensen (DEN), Yuko Takahaski (JPN) and Margit Vanek (HUN) had opened up a minute and a half lead. The ladies took turns at the helm, pushing the group of seven further and further in front of a struggling chase pack. By the end of the eight-lap bike course, there was a three and a half minute time gap between the two groups. The question then became who had enough left to finish the run. Duffy answered, splitting the fastest transition time to sprint out ahead of the group on the first run lap. It was a small, but decisive move in the race. Duffy blazed through the first lap to gain a 28-second lead. While her own pace dropped on the second lap, she still managed to increase her lead by another 20 seconds. “Towards the end, the bikes started to get really hot,” Duffy said of how the heat affected her. “I went through two bottles, which I don’t normally do. Then on the run, at every stop I put water on my head and water on my body.” Behind her, Rivas, Oliveira, Razarenova, and Jensen ran shoulder-to-shoulder until the final lap. In a battle to the end, Oliveira, who spoke of improving her running at the press conference on Friday, surged... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-06T21:22:44+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/2012_huatulco_world_cup_press_conference_highlights http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/2012_huatulco_world_cup_press_conference_highlights#When:21:13:49Z Past world champion Ivan Rana (ESP) and 2011 Pan Am Games bronze medallist Pamela Oliveira (BRA) joined Mexico’s Claudia Rivas and Crisanto Grajales in the Huatulco heat to speak with the media ahead of the third stop of the 2012 ITU World Cup season. The athletes made one thing clear on Friday: qualifying for the Olympics is everyone’s top priority. Claudia Rivas (MEX) On the importance of the race “The competition on Sunday is very important for us. Many competitors are very strong. Many people are here to qualify and earn points for a place at the Olympics. I hope I will be able to continue to maintain Mexico’s standing (in the Olympic rankings).” On why she enjoys competing in Huatulco “I like the Huatulco race a lot. I like the bike portion of the race. It is one of the hardest triathlons of the season, not only because of the bike, but also because of the heat. The heat is very intense. It is very difficult. For this reason, it is one of my favorite races.” Pamela Oliveira (BRA) On improving her performance from previous years “My first race here in Huatulco was very bad. It was very hot and hard. The run changed everything. I think this year I am more prepared. I am thinner now and I think it will help me. This year my running has improved. I did my best World Cup finish last year at this race, and I think this year I can finish even higher.” On her race condition “I have to take advantage of how well I am racing right now because of the points for the Olympics. I want to secure the place and points for Brazil because I want to go to London.” Ivan Rana (ESP) On competing for a spot at the Olympics “I think this race is going to be very difficult. We are in the final qualifications for the Olympics and there are many people who are working to gain points for a place at the Olympics. I am just two points out of the Spanish team. But, I like when you have to fight and you are really close to the others.” On why the race course is beneficial for him “I think many people came here because, like Claudia, they like the course. In my case, I have a problem with my foot and I think most people will run slowly after such a difficult bike. We will be destroyed after the bike, but that is good for me.” Crisanto Grajales (MEX) On why Huatulco is an ideal race for the Mexican National Olympic Committee “I think, more than anything, many of us came to race here because of the heat and the difficulty of the race. Many countries came to secure a place for... Athletes, Events, World Cup, Olympics, Olympic Tab Player, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-04T21:13:49+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/triathlon_mixed_relay_added_to_2014_glasgow_commonwealth_games http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/triathlon_mixed_relay_added_to_2014_glasgow_commonwealth_games#When:19:16:22Z Triathlon Mixed Relay -ITU’s exciting mixed gender format - continued its rapid growth today, with the announcement by the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Committee that it would be included on their sports programme for 2014. The debut of the Mixed Relay comes four years earlier than anticipated after the discipline was voted onto the Commonwealth Games programme starting in 2018, at the Commonwealth Games General Assembly in St. Kitts & Nevis last November. ITU then presented to the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee in hopes of having the Triathlon Mixed Relay as an optional addition to the sports programme of Glasgow 2014, the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games. Today’s inclusion on the Glasgow programme is seen as a great boost for the development of the sport across the 71 Commonwealth nations around the globe.  The format was also recently accepted onto the programme of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and was placed on the programme of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore with great success. Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC member, commented: “We are delighted the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee has embraced the Triathlon Mixed Relay. Triathlon is on currently on a high in the United Kingdom, and the Mixed Relay will offer an extra opportunity for the people of Glasgow to watch another thrilling and unpredictable event live on their city streets.” Triathlon Mixed Relay consists of teams of four athletes: two men and two women, who will compete in the order of woman, man, woman, man. Each athlete completes a super-sprint triathlon of swimming, biking and running, before handing over to their next team mate. The first team across the finish line is the winner. The Mixed Relay is a stadium event focussed around the transition zone, with the athletes retuning on aver­age every five to eight minutes creating a special atmosphere and memorable moments for committed fans and television viewers alike. The short distances, and numerous transitions results in non-stop action from start to finish, with the possibility of upsets at any stage. This action is proven to appeal to a young, entertainment-hungry audience. The recent Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships in the Olympic city of Lausanne, Switzerland boasted its largest field ever, with representation from all five continents.  According to research agency IFM, those World Championships-where Great Britain’s “Dream Team” cruised to gold-had over 571 million TV... Events, Major Games, Media Centre, Press Release, Multisports, Team Triathlon, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania 2012-05-01T19:16:22+00:00 http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/spain_gets_ready_for_the_2012_triathlon_world_cup http://media.triathlon.org/news/article/spain_gets_ready_for_the_2012_triathlon_world_cup#When:02:02:27Z The 2012 Banyoles ITU Triathlon World Cup has been launched with the Catalan General Secretary for Sports, Ivan Tibau, and the mayor of Banyoles, Miquel Noguer, opening the events official presentation in Catalonia’s thriving capital, Barcelona. The 2012 Triathlon World Cup will be one of the final competitions before the London Olympics, an event which “Will internationally project a good image of our modern, highly developed country,” said Tibau. This event is the fourth of nine in the 2012 ITU World Cup series. Over 100 professional triathletes are expected to compete in the 1.5 km swim, 40km bike and 10km run. The launch, held at Barcelona’s Museum and Study Centre for Sports Dr. Melcior Colet, was attended by Miquel Noguer, mayor of Banyoles, Josep Pujols, regional sports representative of Girona, José Hidalgo, president of the Spanish Triathlon Federation and Jesús Lluis Andreu, President of the Catalan Triathlon Federation. Jordi Congost, from the Banyoles City Council for Sports and Joan Anton Abellán, the Competition’s Executive Director, were also present. Tibau thanked the city’s commitment to sport while highlighting the international reach of this year’s World Cup. “We are very happy about Banyoles being the first Spanish town hosting the World Cup, and the second city in Europe. This speaks for the excellent conditions offered by the town and its lake, where all kinds of competitions can be practiced. It also says a lot about the city’s organisational capacity and the great engagement of all sport organisations towards the competition,” he said. “This event will boost the regional economy and give out an image of a modern and developed country which lives sport with passion and does things the right way.” The General Secretary for Sports stressed that the organisation of this kind of events “Will help triathlon gain popularity in Catalonia, since every year there are more people practicing it and joining the federation. It is a sport which enjoys very good health,” he said. Triathlon has one of the highest federation participation rates in Spain. As for the mayor of Banyoles, Miquel Noguer, he recalled the town’s emphasis on sports tourism, stating that triathlon will always have a place and referring to the organisation of six other sport events planned throughout the year. Banyoles has experience in organising international sport competitions for rowing, canoeing and triathlon. He also welcomed the high commitment of Banyoles’... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, Europe 2012-05-01T02:02:27+00:00