Kiwis to Compete in International Triathlon

Kiwis to Compete in International Triathlon

Five of the country’s top triathletes will compete in an International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup race in Canada this weekend.

Triathletes Terenzo Bozzone, Will Smith, Kris Gemmell, Carmel Hanly, and Graham O’Grady, will compete this Sunday [23 July] against more than 80 international triathletes in both the elite men’s and women’s events at Corner Brook on Canada’s east coast.

Triathlon New Zealand High Performance Director, Stephen Farrell, said the Corner Brook triathlon is a key event in the ITU calendar, as success will help athletes to qualify for the World Championships to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland on 2 and 3 September.

“There are 15 ITU World Cup races held throughout the year in which athletes can earn points to gain entry to the World Championships,” Stephen said.

He said the course at Corner Brook is a challenging one that suits New Zealand athletes.

“The race starts with a 1.5km swim around the Glynmill Inn Pond, which has an average temperature of 18-20˚C.

“This is followed by a 40km cycle leg, made up of six laps with one major incline, before a challenging and hilly 10 km run.

“Our athletes have had some great successes lately, with Hamish Carter winning the last ITU World Cup race at Edmonton and Samantha Warriner finishing third. Overall, we have had six triathletes finish in the top three spots in World Cup races this year.

“It will be great to see what they can achieve at this weekend’s event.”

Live coverage of the Corner Brook event will be available at www.triathlon.org

Photography will be available on the day at http://www.triathlon.org.nz/news.asp?id=10

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