Posted: June 14, 2007

Triathlon: Canadian triathletes race for sport’s biggest payday

DES MOINES, Iowa – A strong Canadian contingent travels to America’s heartland to compete for the richest purse prize in the history of triathlon and with Olympic qualifying spots at stake. The seventh stop of the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series makes its only appearance on American soil as it rolls into first-time host city Des Moines. The world’s best will gather for valuable Olympic qualifying points and the biggest payday ever offered in triathlon, US$200,000 each to the men’s and women’s winner. Because of the World Championship caliber fields, Triathlon Canada has designated this event as one of its key Olympic qualifiers. A top five performance will result in an automatic berth on the 2008 Olympic team. Canada sends a deep men’s squad riding high with Simon Whitfield's win this past weekend at the Vancouver BG Triathlon World Cup, his first title since 2004 and the eighth of his career. Whitfield is still eagerly awaiting the birth of his first child. He is expected to arrive late in Des Moines but will still race unless is called back home to Victoria. Also representing Canada in the men’s field is Edmonton’s Paul Tichelaar who’s coming off a career-best fifth place finish in Vancouver, as is Colin Jenkins who finished seventh. In the women’s field, teen phenom Kirsten Sweetland races for the first time since her breakthrough win in South Africa last month. The reigning Junior World Champion comes into Des Moines number six in the world and the third highest ranked woman in the star-studded field. Vancouver’s Lauren Groves and Jill Savege of Penticton, BC will also take the start line this Sunday as serious contenders aiming for a share of the US$700,000 purse. Canadians competing in the 2007 Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup are: Simon Whitfield (Victoria, BC) – current world #5, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist Kirsten Sweetland (Victoria, BC) – 2006 Junior World Champion, 2007 Richards Bay World Cup winner Lauren Groves (Vancouver, BC) – finished 2006 ranked #7 in the world Jill Savege (Penticton, BC) – 2004 Olympian, 3 career World Cup wins, current world #17 Paul Tichelaar (Edmonton, AB) – 2006 Pan American Champion, current world #11 Brent McMahon (Victoria, BC) – 2004 Olympian Kyle Jones (Oakville, ON) – finished 2006 as 2nd highest ranked Canadian man Colin Jenkins (Hamilton, ON) – current world #30 Kathy Tremblay (Montreal, QC) – 2006 Pan American Champion, current world #29 The men’s field is loaded with international contenders including five-time World Cup winner Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia, reigning World Champion Tim Don from Great Britain, 2004 World Champion Bevan Docherty of New Zealand and world number one Javier Gomez of Spain. Australian Emma Snowsill is widely considered the pre-race favourite in the women’s field. The three-time World Champion has missed the World Cup podium just once since September 2003. But Snowsill hasn’t raced in a World Cup since her silver medal performance in Ishigaki in April, allowing her compatriot Erin Densham to jump past her in the world rankings to number two. The Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup is part of the ITU’s series of Olympic qualifiers where athletes earn points in the race to make the cut for Beijing. The Olympic fields are capped at 55 for men and women with a maximum of three per National Federation. Full race results and race report will be available immediately after the event (Sunday evening in Canada). **Note that Des Moines is Central Standard Time. Click here for up-to-date athlete start lists and race information: Triathlon.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest