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3 weeks ago it was the World Championships, this weekend, in the third last World Cup of the season; we will be treated to an Olympic preview with one of the best fields ever assembled at a World Cup event.
Beijing, China, will play host to the thirteenth stop of the 2006 BG Triathlon World Cup series this Sunday, September 24th. The 2006 Beijing BG Triathlon World Cup also doubles as the first test-event for the 2008 Olympic Games triathlon competition. This weekend the world’s top triathletes will race the exact course design proposed for the 2008 Games.
There will be five Canadians competing this weekend in the World’s 13th largest city. Edmonton’s Paul Tichelaar (World Cup Ranking #48) is the only Canadian male in the 85 man field. Kathy Tremblay, from Montreal, (World Cup Ranking #33) will be hoping to get back on the podium as she did in Mazatlan in early May. Carolyn Murray, from Edmonton, (World Cup Ranking #47) will be trying to better her 14th place finish from a year ago in Beijing. National Team member Ayesha Rollinson and Christine Jeffrey will also be competing for Canada this weekend.
Located in the Changping district just outside Beijing, the challenging 1,500 metre swim, 40 kilometre bike and 10 kilometre run course will host 150 top athletes in an Olympic caliber competition. Recent triathlon world champions Emma Snowsill from Australia and Tim Don from Great Britain are a few of the leading names competing this weekend.
Both world number-one ranked Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal and Australia’s Brad Kahlefeldt are here to try and retain their lead in the overall rankings. Fernandes, who won here last year and has not lost a world cup since early 2005, has a commanding lead of 144 points over her closest rival in the world cup rankings coming into this weekend. In second is Joelle Franzmann from Germany, who is also racing this weekend and looking for her second world cup victory of the season.
Kahlefeldt on the other hand is holding onto a slim 12 point lead over the 2005 world cup series winner and victor on this course last year, Hunter Kemper of the United States. Following closely in third position is the young Spaniard Javier Gomez a further 10 points behind Kemper. Only two weeks ago Gomez was able to better both Kahlefeldt and Kemper at the Hamburg world cup, with his second world cup win of the season. 7 of the top 10 men in the most recent World Cup Rankings are competing this weekend.
2005 world cup series winner Annabel Luxford of Australia is back for her first race after a stellar start to the 2006 season winning two world cups, sustained a foot injury in early April and has not raced since. After battling with Fernandes in Hamburg two weeks ago and narrowly missing her second victory of the season, Kiwi Debbie Tanner is also on the start list looking for the top of podium.
In the men’s event, Rasmus Henning of Denmark, who has also been on the injury list, is gunning for his second world cup win of the season along with European champion Frederic Belaubre of France and Commonwealth silver medallist Bevan Docherty of New Zealand.
From Triathlon Canada.
Triathlon Canada is the National Federation for the Sport of Triathlon and Duathlon in Canada.
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