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CANCUN, Mexico - It may one of the most popular vacation destinations on earth but for some, this weekend will be anything but a holiday. Cancun will host the 14th stop of the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series on Sunday where nearly 120 elite men and women will compete for $65,000 purse prize and Olympic qualifying points. As the season winds down, the athletes will also be battling for rankings points to earn part of the $250,000 bonus pool for finishing in the top ten of the BG Triathlon World Cup rankings.
The international field in Cancun is highlighted by a powerful New Zealand squad that includes Olympic silver medalist Bevan Docherty, Kris Gemmell, winner of the recent Rhodes world cup, and world number three Samantha Warriner. The Kiwis are tied with Australia for most world cup medals this year with 16. The U.S. sends full men's and women's teams that include Pan Am Games gold medalists Andy Potts and Julie Ertel, along with Laura Bennett and Jarrod Shoemaker, the first Americans to earn spots on the U.S. triathlon Olympic team. Also not to be ignored is Aussie Greg Bennett, wife of Laura, and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield of Canada, currently ranked number two in the world.
Despite the absence of world number one Javier Gomez, Spain is well represented with Ivan Rana who returns to the site of his career's greatest accomplishment; winning the world championships in 2002. With a pair of Cancun titles and four total trips to the podium, Ukrainian veteran Volodymyr Polikarpenko can't be counted out. On the women's side, German star Anja Dittmer will be seeking her third straight Cancun world cup title.
The stunning Mexican resort city has hosted world cup races eight times since 1997, as well as the world championships in 1995 and 2002.
Full race results, story, high resolution pictures and interviews will be available directly following the event.
For more...Triathlon.org.
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