World Triathlon

Former World Number one Chris Hill takes us to Beijing through the athletes eyes

If history repeats the womens Olympic race in Beijing will be a cracker. In Sydney 2000, Australias Michellie Jones was pipped at the post by Swiss Brigitte McMahon. And in Athens 2004 another Australian Loretta Harrop was beaten by a similarly small margin by Austrian Kate Allen.

These two events have set a precedent for hyper-exciting Olympic racing that will be hard to live up to. However, having two superstars of the sport and a bunch of others hounding them all the way to the start line, means that the womens triathlon on August 18th is poised to produce a race to rival Sydney and Athens.

Vanessa Fernandes (Portugal) and Emma Snowsill (Australia) deserve the favouritism they will assume in the lead up to the race. The two placed first and second in the Beijing test event last September. But there are other athletes who could well steal the day.

At last years Olympic test event the women who placed behind them from third to ninth: Laura Bennett (USA), Debbie Tanner (New Zealand), Anja Dittmer (Germany), Samantha Warriner (New Zealand), Nicola Spirig (Switzerland), Emma Moffatt (Australia), Elizabeth May (Luxembourg), all have the ability to cause yet another Olympic upset.

Of these women only the tenth place 2007 trial finisher Felicity Abram (Australia) did not gain selection in her countrys team. This shows, like her non-Olympic selected compatriots Emma Carney and Jackie Fairweather before her, even the best athletes in the world can miss out in this rigorous world of Olympic selection.

At the 2006 Beijing test event Fernandes and Snowsill took out the race with May in third. And at the 2005 Beijing test event Fernandes won with Sheila Taormina (USA) second and current world champion Helen Tucker (Great Britain) took third. Interestingly, Taormina as become the first woman to compete at the Olympics in three different sports: swimming in 1996, triathlon in 2000 and 2004 and modern pentathlon in 2008. 

If past Olympic experience counts then three-time Olympians: Dittmer   18th Sydney, 11th Athens, Kiyomi Niwata (Japan)  14th Sydney, 14th Athens, Mariana Ohata (Brazil)  DNF Sydney, 37th Athens, will add their names to the list of women in Beijing contention. So too will the 15 two-time Olympians in the field.

But the field will be largely made up of new Olympians, 37 first-timers to be exact. These athletes, like:  Ai Udea (Japan), Emma Moffatt (Australia), Yuliya Sapunova (Ukraine), Irina Abyssova (Russia) and Emma Davis (Ireland), will make up for lack of experience with their youthful drive to become Olympic medallists.

And they could learn a thing or two from Allens gold medal performance in Athens. Behind at the end of the bike by 2 minutes 48 seconds she ran through 27 women on her way to her Olympic victory.

Magali Di marco (Switzerland) who took bronze in Sydney could also be a model for aspiring medalists. She is back at her second Games having become a mother in the meantime. Di marco will be 36 years of age at Beijing.

This contrasts starkly with Hollie Avil (Great Britain) who will be 18 years, 4 months, 6 days on the day of womens competition. Avil is obviously not the type of athlete to give up ground to older athletes.

Then there is the marvellous achievement of Ana Burgos (Spain) who will be 40 years, 7 months, 23 days on the day of womens competition. Burgos could be the mother of many of the athlete women racing, but speed will be the only factor ranking the athletes in Beijing.

The three elite world champions in the field: Tucker 2008 , Fernandes 2007, and Snowsill 2006, 2005, 2003, will use this big time race experience to their advantage in Beijing.

As will past Under23 world champions: Daniela Ryf (Switzerland)  2008, Lisa Norden (Sweden)  2007, Erin Densham (Australia)  2006, Andrea Hewitt (New Zealand)  2005. And junior world champions: Avil 2007, Spirig 2001.

Lastly, a note must be made of the Chinese athletes racing their home Games: Lin Xing and Yi Zhang. For these athletes the expectation and excitement of racing an Olympics in their hometown must be immense.

With the numbers out of the way, it is up to the individual women in the field to make the race happen. And if the past two Olympic races are anything to go by, well all be in for the ride of our lives.

Check back soon as Hill breaks down the Beijing fields

Click here for the Olympic Odyssey archive and more Beijing news

Former World Number one Chris Hill brings his unique elite athlete perspective in weekly Olympic columns to ITUs website, triathlon.org.  He competed on the ITU World Cup circuit, winning three titles and ten medals in total.  He was crowned the overall World Cup series champion in 2001.  That same year he was silver medalist at the ITU World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.  Watch for Chris Hills column, Olympic Odyssey every week on triathlon.org.