TRIATHLON

2017 ITU World Triathlon championship titles on the line in Rotterdam

By International Triathlon Union

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS -  The 2017 ITU World Triathlon Series has so far seen eight stops across eight cities, seven countries and four continents with elite action that has produced nail-biting finishes and record-breaking moments that have made the history books. This season has been one to remember and as it gets ready to come to a close, the elites will line up on the WTS start line one last time where world champions will be revealed.

The 2017 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Rotterdam will play host this Saturday, September 16 to the world’s top elite men and women triathletes, who have competed all season long for their place on the start list and chance at earning the world title. In the men's event Spaniard Mario Mola is on the chopping block to reclaim his title from 2016, a fifth place finish on Saturday will guarantee him the honour. While on the women's front, Bermuda's Flora Duffy has had a near-perfect season that puts her in the front seat to also win a back-to-back title.

Grand Final racing will start on Friday, September 15 with paratriathlon, junior women and u23 men. Saturday will start with junior men, u23 women and then finish with the men and women's elite races. The weekend event will conclude on Sunday, September 17 with standard and sprint distance age group racing.

ABOUT THE RACE: 
This is the first year that Rotterdam has debuted on the World Triathlon Series calendar. More than 75,000 spectators are expected to witness the excitement and drama of age group and professional triathlon in Rotterdam in one of the best port cities in the world. Rotterdam was the host of the 2016 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships, but it will be the first city in the Netherlands to welcome a WTS race. The 2017 Grand Final will be a festival that celebrates the triathlon sport. A spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremony, Pasta Parties, live performances and a lively atmosphere will make the Rotterdam World Championships a must do event for athletes all over the world. Side events and special races will be announced at a later stage.

SCHEDULE:
Paratriathlon - September 15 - 09:00 Click here for a time in your area
Junior Women - September 15 - 15:00 Click here for a time in your area
Under23 Men - September 15 - 17:00  Click here for a time in your area  
Junior Men - September 16 - 08:00  Click here for a time in your area 
Under23 Women - September 16 - 10:00 Click here for a time in your area
Elite Men - September 16 - 13:06 Click here for a time in your area
Elite Women - September 16 - 15:51 Click here for a time in your area
Age group standard - September 17 - 07:30 Click here for a time in your area
Age group sprint - September 15 - 12:30 Click here for a time in your area


WEBSITES:
http://rotterdam.triathlon.org/
START LISTS:
Click here for the elite women's start list 
Click here for the elite men's start list 
Click here for U23 women's start list 
Click here for U23 men's start list 
Click here for junior women's start list 
Click here for junior men's start list 
Click here for age group sprint start lists
Click here for age group standard start lists
Click here for paratriathlon start lists
PRIZE MONEY:
$280,000 USD (equal for men & women)  
LIVE COVERAGE:
Follow #RotterdamGF all the events live with timing and text updates, at triathlonlive.tv and on twitter at @triathlonlive. 

ELITE COURSE PROFILE:
Swim (1500m) – Athletes will start with a pontoon dive in the Mass river and complete two 750m laps.
Bike (40km) – Exiting the waters athletes will grab bikes at T1 and ride 3.4km to the second transition area and continue on for seven 5.2km laps.
Run (10km) – The run will finish the race with four laps of 2.5km each. 


STORIES TO WATCH FOR:
Elite Women's Preview
It is only going to take a seventh place finish for Flora Duffy (BER) to become the ITU WTS World champion for a second year in a row. She enters the Grand Final in Rotterdam with a perfect tally of points with 4000, due to her five win she has collected throughout the year. The five wins that came from Yokohama, Leeds, Hamburg, Edmonton and Stockholm made for a historical season for Duffy as she became only the second woman in ITU history to win five races in a single season. She also collected some other records along the way from her dominating 2017 season, such as the longest winning margin for a WTS victory, which was 1:51 in Yokohama. While she may have missed the first two races of the season due to injury, Duffy returned and has conquered ever since, never missing the podium in every race she has contended in. She is easily the frontunner to take the world honour on Saturday, if all conditions can play in her favour.

Elite Men's Preview
The 2017 World Crown is Spaniard Mario Mola’s to lose. He has dominated the WTS season this year by winning four straight races in a row (Gold Coast, Yokohama, Hamburg and Edmonton), so he is entering the Grand Final as the number one seed and the frontrunner with 3701 overall Series points. He needs to finish at least fifth place on Saturday in order to secure the title that would give him back-to-back world crowns. However, Mola has not had the most consistent of seasons this year. Although he has won four races, if he hasn’t been on top of the podium, then he has finished far from it. His best finish off the podium has been 7th place in Montreal, so knowing that he needs to finish at least fifth, he needs to be on top of his game come Saturday.

U23 Preview
Junior Preview
Paratriathlon Preview

PAST GRAND FINAL WINNERS
2016 Cozumel Grand Final
1. Flora Duffy (BER)                                   1. Henri Schoeman (RSA)
2015 Chicago Grand Final
1. Gwen Jorgensn (USA)                            1. Mario Mola  (ESP)
2014 Edmonton Grand Final 
1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA)                           1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
2013 London Grand Final 
1. Non Stanford (GBR)                                 1. Javier Gomez (ESP)
2012 Auckland Grand Final
1. Anne Haug (GER)                                    1. Javier Gomez (ESP)
2011 Beijing Grand Final
1. Helen Jenkins (GBR)                               1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)         
2010 Budapest Grand Final 
1. Emma Snowsill (AUS)                               1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
2009 Gold Coast Grand Final
1. Emma Moffatt (AUS)                                 1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)

ITU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALLISTS   
(since World Championship format change in 2009)
2016
1. Flora Duffy (BER)                                 1. Mario Mola (ESP)
2. Gwen Jorgensen (USA)                        2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR)
3. Ai Ueda (JPN)                                       3. Fernando Alarza (ESP)

2015
1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA)                         1. Javier Gomez (ESP)
2. Andrea Hewitt (NZL)                               2. Mario Mola (ESP)
3. Sarah True (USA)                                   3. Vincent Luis (FRA)
2014
1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA)                          1. Javier Gomez (ESP)
2. Sarah True (USA)                                  2. Mario Mola (ESP)
3. Andrea Hewitt (NZL)                              3. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR)
2013 
1. Non Stanford (GBR)                                1. Javier Gomez (ESP)
2.  Aileen Reid (IRL)                                   2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 
3.  Emma Moffatt (AUS)                              3. Mario Mola (ESP)
2012
1. Lisa Norden (SWE)                            1. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 
2. Anne Haug (GER)                             2.  Javier Gomez (ESP) 
3. Andrea Hewitt (NZL)                         3. Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS) 
2011
1. Andrea Hewitt (NZL)                            1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)      
2. Helen Jenkins (GBR)                              2. Sven Riederer (SUI)
3. Melanie Hauss (SUI)                                3. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR)
2010 
1. Emma Moffatt (AUS)                             1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 
2. Nicola Spirig (SUI)                                  2. Steffen Justus (GER) 
3. Lisa Norden (SWE)                                3. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS)  
2009
1. Emma Moffatt (AUS)                            1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 
2. Lisa Norden (SWE)                               2. Javier Gomez (ESP)
3. Andrea Hewitt (NZL)                             3. Maik Petzold (GER)

Past ITU Cozumel World Cup winners
2015   Ai Ueda (JPN)                                        Richard Murray (RSA)
2014    Nicola Spirig (SUI)                                Javier Gomez (ESP)
2013    Nicola Spirig (SUI)                                Etienne Diemunsch (FRA)