SNOWSILL ADDS GOLDEN GLOW TO SUBARU MOOLOOLABA ITU TRIATHLON WORLD CUP
TRIATHLON, March 22, 2012: The arrival into town of the Olympic champion always adds that golden glow to any event and it will be no different when Emma Snowsill hits the ground running on the Sunshine Coast today (Thursday) to officially prepare for the start of her 2012 Olympic campaign.
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Snowsill, the 2008 Olympic, 2006 Commonwealth and triple world champion, arrived into Brisbane last night (Wednesday) from her training base in South Africa and wasted no time in hot footing it up to Mooloolaba for the opening Subaru Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup race of the season (Women’s race - Sunday, 12.45pm).
Australia’s National Head Coach Shaun Stephens has been in South Africa to keep an eye on her progress and has liked what he’s seen.
“Snowy has put together some consistent training blocks and from what I observed she is certainly on track to perform and I’m sure she will agree it will be important for her to get a race under her belt in Australia before she lines up for next month’s all-important Sydney World Championship Series opener,” said Stephens.
“There is no doubt she is a big time performer and with two Olympic places still up for grabs she also knows it’s time to perform. It will be great to see her in action and on a course which she is certainly familiar with.”
Snowsill won over the testing Mooloolaba course in 2008 and 2009 and has not raced there since, with Vendula Frintova from the Czech Republic winning in 2010 and New Zealand’s Nicky Samuels in 2011 after a stirring 10km run leg.
And it will once again be a fascinating race with a classy field, which will include Australia’s Olympic bronze medallist and two-time world champion Emma Moffatt, who will make her Olympic distance debut in 2012 after winning an early nomination for London last December.
Moffatt kick-started her campaign with an impressive victory in the Australian Sprint Distance Championship in Geelong last month.
She will be joined by her 2008 Olympic team mate Erin Densham, who comes into the race as the most race-hardened of the girls, after early season races in Queensland, followed by Geelong and the OTU Oceania Championship in Devonport a fortnight ago, where she finished third to Emma Jackson and Ashleigh Gentle, who will both sit out this event.
“Erin showed what she could do in Geelong after a shocker in the swim and came out and produced an amazing run leg and she produced a solid race in Devonport. For Erin it is all about putting the whole race together and if she can do that then she can be a threat,” said Stephens.
Amongst the other leading Australians will be Felicity Abram who has been back from her overseas training base and working under coach Brett Sutton on the Sunshine Coast for the past fortnight and she will be keen to show her wares in the lead up to Sydney.
Internationals including New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt, winner of last year’s ITU World Championship grand final in Beijing; US Olympian Laura Bennett and team mate Gwen Jorgensen; Sweden’s Lisa Norden; Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig and Gold Coast-based Brit Liz Blatchford, are sure to keep the Australian girls honest.
The men’s event (Saturday, 3pm) will see Australia’s early Olympic nomination Brad Kahlefeldt make his season debut against fellow 2012 Aussie Olympic team contenders, 2008 Olympian Courtney Atkinson; impressive Devonport OTU Oceania Championship winner Brendan Sexton; Geelong Sprint winner, New Zealand-based Frenchman Laurent Vidal, his team mate David Hauss; Great Britain’s Olympic contender Will Clarke and Germany’s Steffen Justus.
Stephens has also kept a close eye on Kahlefeldt’s training and has been impressed with the way he has kicked off his Olympic preparation.
“Sticksy has produced some solid sets in training and I’m sure he is happy with where he is at and is looking forward to racing this weekend,” said Stephens.
“It is time for him to build up that race practice and get back into that groove again – it is so important. But he has put together a good plan leading up to London and he knows he has an opportunity to get the job done.”
But one man who is making every post a winner to join Kahlefeldt in London is Maitland-born Victorian Sexton, who showed just what he is capable of in Devonport, when he scooted away from the field, including New Zealand Olympian Kris Gemmel and rising Aussie star Aaron Royle, who like Sexton is a product of the Newcastle Academy.
Sexton will be out to continue his stunning form in Mooloolaba before he attempts to improve on his performance from Sydney last year when he finished fourth.
“Brendan has made no secret of the fact that he is setting himself for Sydney and he knows if he can perform there, then it will certainly enhance his Olympic prospects,” said Stephens.
“Since his VIS coach Jono Hall left to take up a position in the USA, Brendan has continued to surround himself with a good team in Melbourne, led by National Talent Academy coach Jan Rehula and the VIS sports science team.
“But he is calling the shots a little more and there is no doubt he will take an enormous amount of confidence from his win in Devonport.”
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