TRIATHLON

Close race for WTS Overall Series Leaders continues in Edmonton

By International Triathlon Union

The 2017 World Triathlon Series has reached its sixth destination of the season as the elites pack their bags and make their way to North America for the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Edmonton. As the host of the 2014 ITU WTS Grand Final location, Edmonton has become one of the regular stops in the Series and can look forward to once again hosting the elite Grand Final event in 2020

Similar to last year, the Alberta, Canada capital city is offering up a sprint distance course, where the elites will do a simulated beach start in a man-made lake before jumping on their bikes to a course that takes them around prestigious golf courses and local parks.

This weekend the women’s field is covering major World Title contenders. There are four women in the Series that are all within 107 points of each other, so every finish is crucial if they want to be the final one at the top of the podium.

Three of those women are racing this Saturday, so the short course will see some action to claim the top spot on the WTS rankings leaderboard.

After WTS Hamburg, USA’s Katie Zaferes moved into the leader position in the overall Series. She has had a consistent season so far and made it onto one WTS podium with a silver medal in Yokohama. However, she has yet to claim a gold. Lucky for Zaferes, she strives in a sprint distance format, so this weekend could be her shot to remain on top.

The men’s field is loading up with all the best short-course talent to ensure that Saturday’s race will be held at epic proportions.

The top three positions on the overall WTS leaderboard rankings still belong to the Spanish. Mario Mola will line up for the men’s event wearing the familiar golden number. Although he has never won in Edmonton, the sprint distance suits his strengths. He also is coming into the sixth race of the city having just won in Hamburg, which was also a sprint distance event. The performances of Mola this year have been nothing but consistent and flawless, putting him in a prime position to go for a back-to-back World Championship.

While Fernando Alarza (ESP) entered Hamburg as a frontrunner, a bike crash took him out of the running and he wasn’t able to finish the race. So Edmonton will be redemption for the Spaniard, eager to get back the WTS Leader Trophy. Javier Gomez Noya has not been on the WTS podium since Abu Dhabi, but as a seasoned veteran and five-time world champion, he sits comfortably in the third position in the rankings, still leaving sight for a battle for points.


Edmonton will also be host to the ITU World Paratriathlon Series, with some of the greatest paratriathletes of the world competing. 
In the men’s PTWC event, the Netherland’s Geert Schipper will be looking to win his second World Paratriathlon event of the season and repeat his success from Yokohama.
The winners of the opening two World Paratriathlon events of the season will go head-to-head in the women’s PTWC race

ABOUT THE RACE: 
Nine World Cups have been held in Edmonton since 2002. Edmonton also holds a special place in ITU history, having set a new standard for the triathlon world championships in 2001. In 2014 is was also the host city for the Grand Final and returned in 2015 as a World Triathlon Series race. In over 20 years of World Cup races only one race has ever had to be cancelled, which was in Edmonton in 2004. After Loretta Harrop (AUS) won the women’s race, a wintery blast hit the city and the men’s race was called off.

SCHEDULE:
Elite Women
Saturday 29 July - 13:06 UTC/GMT -6 Click here for the time in your area
Elite Men
Saturday 29 July - 15:06 UTC/GMT-6 Click here for the time in your area 
Paratriathlon
Friday 28 July. 17.00 UTC/GMT-6 Click here for the time in your area

WEBSITES:
http://edmonton.triathlon.org/
START LISTS:
Click here for the women's start list 
Click here for the men's start list 

PRIZE MONEY:
$150,000 USD (equal for men & women)  
LIVE COVERAGE:
Follow #WTSEdmonton and all the events live with timing and text updates, at triathlonlive.tv and on twitter at@triathlonlive. 

COURSE PROFILE:
Swim (750m) – Athletes will have a beach start into a man-made lake for a one-lap swim.
Bike (20km) – Athletes will head out of Hawrelak Park, over River Valley to Victoria Road before heading back to the Park for a total of four laps.
Run (5km) – After transitioning back at the lake, athletes will run three laps out to Groat Road and back.

PAST EDMONTON WINNERS 
          WOMEN                        MEN   
2016   Summer Cook (USA)   Jonathan Brownlee (GBR)
2015   Vicky Holland (GBR)    Richard Murray (RSA)
ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Edmonton
2014      Gwen Jorgensen (USA)    Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
ITU Edmonton World Cup
2012    Lauren Groves (CAN)                            Kyle Jones (CAN)
2011     Ashleigh Gentle  (AUS)                         Bevan Docherty (NZL)
2007     Emma Moffatt (AUS)                           Bevan Docherty (NZL) 
2006     Emma Snowsill (AUS)                           Hamish Carter (NZL)
2005     Emma Snowsill (AUS)                           Andy Potts (USA)
2004     Loretta Harrop (AUS)                           Race cancelled due to weather
2003     Barbara Lindquist (USA)                        Simon Whitfield (CAN)
2002     Siri Lindley (USA)                                 Simon Whitfield (CAN)
ITU Triathlon World Championships Edmonton
2001     Siri Lindley (USA)                                 Peter Robertson (AUS) 
 
 
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