Wednesday, August 1, 2007
One month to go to BG Triathlon World Championships
HAMBURG - In one month's time, from August 30 th to September 2nd, the Harbour city of Hamburg, Germany will play host to the 2007 BG Triathlon World Championships. A record 10,000 athletes with many different ages and skill levels from over 50 countries will gather in the urban course setting to showcase their abilities and passion for the sport of triathlon.
The World Championships are not just contained to the three days however, but is a week long festival dedicated to the sport of triathlon and its ideals. The festivities begin on August 29 th with a youth triathlon and continue to the Sunday with receptions, parties, parades and high calibre triathlon racing.
Over 300 of the world's top Junior and Under23 athletes are the first to race on the Friday afternoon. New Champions will be crowned in all four events with last year's Under23 Champions Erin Densham of Australia and Will Clarke of Great Britain having moved up to the Elite ranks. Also moved up are 2006 Junior World Champions Kirsten Sweetland of Canada and Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain . Sweetland has had a breakthrough 2007 season with a World Cup win and another podium under her belt already. She is currently ranked number three in the world.
At the climax of the world championship week are the Elite races. On Saturday, the Elite Women square off with more top woman fighting for the title then ever before. Will the insuperable Emma Snowsill of Australia win her fourth world title, tying the great Simon Lessing for the most world titles of all time? Or will Portuguese sensation Vanessa Fernandes finally get the world title she has been seeking for the past three years? Fernandes just missed the top spot last year as the petite Snowsill ran a scorching 33:35 final 10-kilometres on the tough Lausanne course.
It could be the day for a new woman's champion to emerge from the deep talent pool of young up-and-coming athletes. Youngsters Densham, Sweetland, Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand or Annabel Luxford of Australia all have a legitimate shot at triathlon gold in Hamburg.
Sunday morning 2,500 Age Group competitors will compete in their five year age groups, starting from 20-24 and ending at over 85 years of age. Many of the great elite triathletes of today have come from the age group ranks. For many age group athletes it is the pinnacle of their triathlon season or even their sporting career to make it to the world championships and proudly wear their country's uniform. Many use the world championships to judge their progress from year to year and use the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones.
The afternoon is the Elite Men's turn to shine. This year it is anyone's guess with eight different men having been atop the world cup podium already this season. Will Britain 's Tim Don repeat? Will Aussie Peter Robbo Robertson make it number four? Will Canadian Simon Whitfield finally get the world title he has been searching for since his Olympic gold medal in Sydney , becoming the first athlete to hold both titles? Or maybe, world number one ranked Javier Gomez of Spain can top off a stellar 18 months.
It is next to impossible to predict a winner in the men's field with another dozen athletes that can perform on the day and take the prestigious world champion crown.
All the weekend's action will be broadcast live on German National Television and sent out around the world on ITU's Tricast player. Live online coverage of all the Elite races and Age Group finishes will be available on triathlon.org including behind the scenes videos and special features leading into the 2007 Hamburg BG Triathlon World Championships.
2007 Hamburg BG Triathlon World Championships
Schedule of Events
Thursday, August 30th
12:00pm - ITU Media Conference (live video feed)
20:30pm Opening Ceremonies and Athletes Parade
Friday, August 31st
08:30am Junior Women World Championships (Tricast available)
11:05am Junior Men World Championships (Tricast available)
13:40pm Under23 Women World Championships (Tricast available)
17:20pm Under23 Men World Championships (Tricast available)
Saturday, September 1st
14:50pm Elite Women World Championships (Tricast available)
Sunday, September 2nd
07:15am AWAD/Age Group World Championships (Live finish video)
15:00pm Elite Men World Championships (Tricast available)
**Note: All times are local.
For more information on the World Championships visit www.hamburgcityman.de
Photos: Last year's winners Tim Don (GBR) and Emma Snowsill (AUS)
Credit: Frank Wechsel/triathlon.org
About the International Triathlon Union (ITU):
ITU is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related multi-sport disciplines: Duathlon, Aquathlon and Winter Triathlon.
The International Triathlon Union was founded in 1989 and now has over 120 affiliated national federations around the world. It is the only International Federation located in Canada . Triathlon was awarded Olympic status in 1994 and the ITU is the youngest International Federation in the Olympics. For further information visit www.triathlon.org
For more information please contact:
Paula Kim, ITU Communications Manager
Tel: +1.604.904.9248 Cell: +1.604.780.3546
Email: paula.kim@triathlon.org
Stephen Bourdeau, ITU Media Manager
Tel: +1.604.904.9248 Cell: +1.780.908.9299
Email: stephen.bourdeau@triathlon.org