Olympic bronze medallist, Jonathan Brownlee has the opportunity to win the ITU world title. He will aim to keep the title in the family in the absence of Olympic gold medallist and 2011 ITU world champion, older brother, Alistair, who is not racing. 

 

Jonathan currently heads the world rankings with a cushion of 180 points over Olympic silver medallist, Javier Gomez. To guarantee the title he will need to finish on the podium in the Grand Final race, which will feature a cold water swim and severe climb on the multi-lap bike course.

 

Adam Bowden and David McNamee join Brownlee on the start line having achieved top ten finishes in the ITU World Triathlon Yokohama last weekend.

 

Jodie Stimpson is the lone British athlete in the women’s race. Helen Jenkins will not defend her ITU world title and London 2012 Olympian, Vicky Holland has decided to end her season early in order to refocus on 2013. Meanwhile, Team GB teammate, Lucy Hall will contest the U23 race.

 

Britain’s U23 GE Great Britain Team looks strong with Hall being joined by Non Stanford and Lois Rosindale in the women’s race. Tom Bishop and Matt Sharp, both U23 medal winners at the ITU World Championships last year, start the men’s race.

 

GE Great Britain Junior Team member, Georgia Taylor-Brown, is already the ETU Triathlon European junior champion and ITU Duathlon world junior champion. She is joined by Sophie Colwell, Marc Austin and Gordon Benson, all of whom have at least another year in this age-group.

 

All four of Britain’s defending world champions feature in the elite Paratriathlon in New Zealand. Jane Egan, Charlotte Ellis, Faye McClelland and Steven Judge are part of a squad of fifteen athletes.

 

The Barefoot & Thompson World Triathlon Grand Final Auckland takes place 19-21 October. The elite senior events will be televised live on the BBC Red Button overnight and a packaged highlights programme will be shown on BBC2 on Sunday afternoon, 21 October.