Edmonton, Canada hosts the final round of the ITU World Triathlon Series this weekend before the Grand Final takes place in Chicago in two weeks. Five British athletes are competing on the flat, sprint distance course, including Vicky Holland and former ITU world champions, Helen Jenkins and Non Stanford.
Note: Read to bottom of article for TV details
Holland is one of only three women to have won a round of the ITU World Triathlon Series this year. The other two, Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True (USA) are not competing, but there are some strong contenders including Olympic bronze medal winner Emma Moffatt and Ireland’s Aileen Reid.
Both Holland and Stanford are looking to practice race skills and sharpen up over the sprint distance race before the Grand Final, where they both have the opportunity to seal Rio 2016 Olympic selections if they can finish on the podium.
Holland said: “This is part of my final preparation for Chicago so I’m looking for a good race this weekend. We’ve been out here training for a few days and the course is pretty flat, so it should be really fast.”
Stanford added: “This is a last chance to practice the small details before the Grand Final, which is obviously all important to me. The focus on Sunday is to get everything right and hopefully get a good outcome at the end.”
Helen Jenkins bounced back from misfortune in Rio, where she was forced to withdraw after the first few hundred metres of the swim, to record a resounding win at the London Triathlon the following week. She’ll look to carry that form through this weekend and on to the Grand Final.
In the men’s race Adam Bowden and Tom Bishop will take on the world’s leading men, including Javier Gomez (ESP), Mario Mola (ESP), Vincent Luis (FRA), Richard Murray (RSA) and Joao Pereira (POR).
Bowden’s best result this season was seventh in Yokohama in May, and he also finished 12th in the Rio Test Event. Bowden is set to go on to the Grand Final, whereas Bishop will finish his season with this final race in Edmonton.
The men’s and women’s races take place in and around Hawrelak Park, the host venue of last year’s ITU World Triathlon Grand Final. Both races will be sprint distance and will be available to watch live via the BBC Red Button.
- Women’s race: Live BBC Red Button, Sunday 6 September, 8.30pm
- Men’s race: Live BBC Red Button, Sunday 6 September, 10.30pm
- Highlights, including exclusive interviews with Jonathan Brownlee in Leeds: BBC2 Monday 7 September, 1.45pm
British athletes competing, ITU World Triathlon Edmonton, Sunday 6 September: 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run:
Women: Vicky Holland, Helen Jenkins, Non Stanford
Men: Tom Bishop, Adam Bowden
