AUSSIE TRIATHLETES READY TO TURN IT ON' IN MADRID
TRIATHLON, June 2: Australia's prospective London Olympic triathletes will have to be "on" from the opening swim leg when they dive into this weekend's 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series event in Madrid.
The Aussie contingent will feature defending World Champion Emma Moffatt, Olympic champion Emma Snowsill and the emerging Felicity Sheedy-Ryan and Annabel Luxford in the women's field while Beijing Olympians Brad Kahlefeldt and Courtney Atkinson will be joined in the men's field by Monterrey World Cup winner Brendan Sexton.
The men's race will start on Saturday at 6pm (AEST) while Sunday's women's race will start at 10.30pm (AEST) through the picturesque Casa de Campo Park in central Madrid - the second of the seven event series.
"We've always performed very successfully in Madrid so hopefully we'll be able to get some good results," said Australia's National and AIS Head Coach Shaun Stephens, who has been over-seeing the majority of the team's preparation in Australia's French training base in Aix-le-Bains for the past fortnight.
"Madrid will be the first of two ‘strength oriented' races before the flat and fast events of Hamburg and London. 
"It is going to be a tough, hilly course and there will be no leniency for a bad discipline, the pace is going to be ‘on' from the opening swim leg.
"And with the disrupted start to the year (with Yokohama postponed) everyone will be looking for a solid race.
"I think some of our guys have learnt from recent races that you just can't afford to get too far back in the pack.
"Traditionally Madrid is hot and hilly but the weather has been quite cold and there is some talk about the possibility of a wetsuit swim.
"I'm not sure that's going to suit our guys but we'll wait and see."
The Australians will not only be chasing podium finishes but also valuable points in the chase for Olympic qualification.
Atkinson, who only arrived in Aix-le-Bains earlier in the week, has finished second to Alistair Brownlee in both 2009 and 2010 and will be looking to put together another big race in 2011.
Kahledfeldt missed some vital training through illness a fortnight ago but is now back on track, while Sexton, despite a disappointing race at the French Grand Prix last weekend, has been the Aussie making all the headlines this season.
The Melbourne-based 25-year-old from Maitland finished fourth to two-time and defending ITU World Champion Javier Gomez (ESP) in the Sydney World Championship leg after his silver at the Mooloolaba World Cup in the lead up ton his breakthrough win at the Monterrey World Cup.
"Brendan is riding a wave of confidence at the moment and has been at the VIS training base in Spain and he knows he can't afford to be left behind in the swim, like he did in Dunkerque last weekend," said Stephens.
Stephens said he has been in regular touch with Snowsill, who has been in her German-based training camp and she will be 
determined not to give anything away in the swim.
Snowsill was a disappointing 42nd in Sydney and spent the next two weeks soul searching.
"Knowing Snowy she will come out as determined as ever in Madrid after putting in some good training over the past two or three weeks and I know Moffy is in the same frame of mind," said Stephens.
"She raced well in the French Grand Prix and knows the standard of the field that will line up in Madrid."
Moffatt, second in Dunkerque, was also disappointed with her last start World Championship which saw her finish 13th in the race won by Canadian Paula Findlay.
After the race Moffatt admitted: "It's clear I have to improve on that if I want to go well in the series. It was not the result I wanted, especially at home where you naturally want to go well."