Posted: August 30, 2007

Triathlon: New World Champions to be crowned this weekend

HAMBURG, Germany - This weekend the world's best triathletes gather in Germany for the BG Triathlon World Championships. On Saturday afternoon the elite women will take to the streets of downtown Hamburg seeking the coveted world title while a star-studded elite men's field will be decided on Sunday. Portuguese superstar Vanessa Fernandes will be seeking her first world championship. The world number one has dominated the season, winning four world cup titles as well as the duathlon world championship and her fourth straight European title. With 17 world cup wins to her name, no woman has been as successful without winning a world championship than Fernandes. Standing in her way for the past few years has been her Australian rival Emma Snowsill. She's won three of the last four world championships and will be looking to join the great Simon Lessing as the only triathlete to win four. Snowsill began the year with a win in Mooloolaba and silver in Ishigaki but hasn't made the world cup podium since then, which contributed to her ranking decline to number 17 in the world. But Snowsill isn't the only medal threat from down under. The powerful Australian women's team consists of four worthy contenders including Annabel Luxford, the 2005 world cup series champion who's made the podium twice in Hamburg, Emma Moffatt who broke through for her first world cup win earlier this year, and Erin Densham, last year's under23 world champion. New Zealand also comes in with a strong women's squad led by world number two Sam Warriner. The veteran has enjoyed a remarkable 2007 campaign highlighted by a pair of wins in Vancouver and Tiszaujvaros. Teammate Debbie Tanner was runner-up to Fernandes last year in Hamburg and comes in at number three in the world. Canadian teenager Kirsten Sweetland will not defend her junior world title, will bypass the under23 category and jump straight to the elite division. A win in Hamburg would make her the first woman to win junior and elite world titles in back-to-back years. The home team will be well represented with a trio of solid contenders including former European champion Anja Dittmer. The two-time Olympian knows what it takes to win on the Hamburg course, having triumphed here in 2003 and 2004. German National Champion Christiane Pilz has had a solid season, winning bronze in Lisbon and Richards Bay. Along with last year's world cup series runner-up Joelle Franzmann, they'll be aiming to be the first German woman to ever medal at the elite world championships. This is a key Olympic qualifier for the German team with two Olympic spots up for grabs. The highly competitive men's field is littered with big names and top contenders. Defending world champion Tim Don leads the British contingent into Hamburg. He hasn't made the world cup podium yet this year but comes in ranked number eight in the world and is keen to repeat as world champion. "If you've been world champion once, it doesn't mean you don't want to be it again so I'll be looking to be in tip top shape for Hamburg," said Don. But his pursuit of two world titles may be thwarted as he faces a strong field that includes world number one Javier Gomez, considered by many to be the man to beat. The Spaniard has had a stellar year, winning three world cups and making the podium in all six. Having won his first European title earlier this year, Gomez could be just the second triathlete to win both European and world gold in the same year. If he's in the lead pack off the bike, expect him to set a torrid pace in the hopes of running away with his first world title. But Gomez, winner of the Hamburg world cup last year, faces stiff opposition in his quest for history including world number two Simon Whitfield of Canada. The 2000 Olympic gold medalist has had a resurgent season, winning a pair of world cup wins, his first since 2004. Now swimming among the best, Whitfield will look to use his phenomenal running skills to pull away from the field. Bevan Docherty of New Zealand has risen to the challenge on big occasions before, winning the world championship in 2004 and taking silver at the Athens Olympics. This season he's won in Edmonton and made the podium in Ishigaki and Des Moines. Frenchman Frederic Belaubre comes into Hamburg ranked number 14 in the world but missed much of the season due to a foot injury. The two-time European champion has only competed in two world cups and finished on the podium both times and was the bronze medalist from last year. This is the 19th edition of the world championships in ITU history and the first time held in Germany. The athletes will dive off a pontoon and into the Binnenalster, one of two artificial lakes within the city limits of Hamburg. They will swim two laps of 750 meters in a wetsuit swim and will then cycle eight laps of a 5-kilometer loop on a flat, technical course that includes eight sharp turns around downtown Hamburg. Off the bike, athletes will run four laps of a 2.5-kilometer loop on a flat course that includes two turnaround points. One of the more popular world cup stops among the athletes, Hamburg has played hosted since 2002. Half a million people are expected to line the streets over the weekend to see triathlon's best in the BG Triathlon World Championships. Full race results and reports will be available immediately after each event. Website: Triathlon.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest