The men’s and women’s elite races take top billing at the ITU World Championships in Rotterdam on Saturday (16 September), but Great Britain also has exciting prospects in the junior men’s and U23 women’s events.
Jonathan Brownlee has gold medal winning aspirations having found his form at the last round of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Stockholm last month. His emphatic win was an emotional one after a season affected by injury and illness.
He said: “I’ve never won a Grand Final, so to do that would be really special. I think I've got a bit of an advantage that I’m not chasing the world title, and it’s a true triathlon course. You’ve got to swim, bike and run well, and I’ve never seen a course with as many twists and turns.”
Tom Bishop and Adam Bowden are rightly optimistic about their chances having both achieved the best Series results of their careers this season. Marc Austin makes his senior world championship debut.
In the women’s race Jessica Learmonth comes to Rotterdam having achieved her first ever Series podium finish in Stockholm. She’s joined by Lucy Hall and Jodie Simpson.
Learmonth said: “Stockholm was a dream come true. If my season ended right now I’d be happy, but of course you always want more. On this course it’s an advantage to be in a small group and I hope I’ll be able to do that again.”
The junior men’s event is the first of the day at 8am and Ben Dijkstra has a track record of seventh in Chicago in 2015 and third in Cozumel in 2016. In his final year as a junior, his goal is to better his results to date in Rotterdam.
Barclay Izzard and James Chantler Mayne, who is just 17 and in his first championship event, are also racing having performed brilliantly well in the selection race in Mallory Park just a few weeks ago on Bank Holiday Monday.
The women’s U23 event is full of experienced British athletes with Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sophie Coldwell and Sian Rainsley all having won championship medals in previous events. All three can be succcessful here if they can manage the conditions and their efforts on this challenging course.
Schedule and Great Britain team athletes:
Junior men; Saturday 16 September, 8am-9am; 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run:
Ben Dijkstra, Barclay Izzard, James Chantler Mayne
U23 Women; Saturday 16 September, 10am-12pm; 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run:
Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sophie Coldwell, Sian Rainsley
Elite men; Saturday 16 September, 1.06pm-3pm; 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run:
Marc Austin, Tom Bishop, Adam Bowden, Jonathan Brownlee
Elite women; Saturday 16 September, 3.51pm-6.15pm; 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run:
Lucy Hall, Jodie Stimpson, Jess Learmonth
