ITU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES BATTLE LINES DRAWN IN SAN DIEGO

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Aaron Royle, Felicity Abram, Ashleigh Gentle and Emma Moffatt will fly the Aussie flag
FOX SPORTS LIVE: Women – Saturday 8:30am Fox Sport 3HD (Ch 503)
FOX SPORTS LIVE: Men – Sunday 9am Fox Sport 2HD (Ch 502)

Triathlon Australia, April 19, 2013: It has been billed as the ‘clash of the titans’ and with the return of the giants of the sport Alistair Brownlee – Javier Gomez, the focus of the triathlon world is on the sport’s spiritual home of San Diego this weekend for the second round of the eight race ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS).

The “big two’ are among 130 of the world's fastest Olympic distance triathletes will compete in Mission Bay, adjacent to Fiesta Island, the site of the world's first-ever triathlon on 25 September, 1974.

Four Aussies have made the trip to San Diego, with Aaron Royle the only male and the rejuvenated Felicity Abram, Ashleigh Gentle and Emma Moffatt flying the flag for the girls.

Stepping up to race against the world’s best triathletes, Royle, the 2012 under 23 World Champion has continued to impress with a very solid sixth place in round one and will be looking for similar performance this time out.

After dabbling temporarily in the world of 70.3 racing, two time world champion Emma Moffatt makes her welcome return to WTS racing, but she will have her work cut out for her in the form of Anne Haug (GER) and team mate Abram.

Abram kicked off her 2013 WTS season with a bang, recording her maiden World Triathlon Series podium in Auckland. Abram’s third place behind Haug and Maaike Caelers (NED) is one of her best results in recent years and first podium in a major race since 2008 and signalled a welcome return to form after a few years in the wilderness.

Defending world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Jonathan Brownlee will have to wait until Yokohama to make his first WTS appearance in 2013, forced to withdraw from San Diego due to an ankle injury.

His withdrawal makes the defence of his world title a tad more difficult as he only has six World Triathlon Series events left to compete in to score much need series points.

“I’m really disappointed not to be going to San Diego. But I’m waiting another couple of weeks to get myself race fit after injury is the right thing to do with a whole season ahead of me,” Jonny said.

Javier Gomez’s win in Auckland has he and countryman Mario Mola (ESP) at the top of the ITU World Triathlon Series Rankings but with the return of Olympic gold medallist and two time world champion Alistair Brownlee to the WTS, things are going to change dramatically.

Gomez must have nightmares about the Brownlee brothers, while Jonny is out of action, Alistair is back to resume the titanic struggle with Gomez that has lifted WTS racing to new levels.

Brownlee has had the wood on Gomez of recent years, but the Spaniard has been in sensational so far in 2013, winning the ITU World Cup Mooloolaba and running an incredible 29:36 split in Auckland off the back of one of the toughest bike courses in the world.

The depth of the men’s field is amazing with the evergreen Sven Reiderer (SUI), rising star Richard Murray (RSA), Mario Mola (ESP), Joao Silva (POR) and Laurent Vidal (FRA), Matt Chrabot (USA) and the Russians, the Bryukhankov and Polyanskiy brothers and Ivan Vasiliev, serious threats.

Anne Haug (GER) is shooting for three WTS wins in a row and given her sensational and very dominant start to the season. With wins at the Mooloolaba World Cup and WTS opener in Auckland and the absence of Erin Densham, Helen Jenkins, Lisa Norden, Laura Bennett and Nicola Spirig, Haag must go into round two the clear favourite.

Felicity Abram (AUS) looms as a big danger again after her bronze medal performance in Auckland and after a slow start to the season, Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) and Sarah Groff (USA) will be hoping for better results and will be fired up when they hit the start line.

‘Miss Consistency’ Andrea Hewitt (NZL) suffered from a concussion after a bike fall prior to Auckland and struggled home in 15th place and will be determined to make amends.

On the comeback trail is the star of the 2010 season Paula Findlay (CAN) who makes her debut return to ITU racing, after suffering an injury in 2012 that saw her miss the entire WTS season.

One of the fastest runners on the circuit, if Findlay stays healthy and her confidence returns, she shouldn’t be counted out in San Diego and will add an interesting twist to what is already shaping up to be an exciting series.

Videos:

The ITU posted a preview video for this weekend on our YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/AI7Sj-44PXY
We will have many more videos going up on www.youtube.com/itutriathlon during the weekend so please subscribe to the channel and repost them as they come along.

The women will go off at 3:30pm on 19 April, while the men will start on Saturday at 4:00pm local time.

International Women’s start times
International Men’s start times

Be sure to follow all the action live through the ITU’s live video stream on www.triathlon.org/tv, or follow via Twitter at @ITUonline and @triathlonlive

Issued on behalf of Triathlon Australia…..

Ian Hanson

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