COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A strong contingent of U.S. triathletes, including four Olympians, will compete on Saturday as the ITU World Triathlon Series makes its second stop of the season in Gold Coast, Australia.
ITU World Triathlon Gold Coast will be the first sprint-distance WTS race of the year, with athletes completing a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. The elite women are set to start at 2:06 p.m. local time (12:06 a.m. ET) on Saturday, April 8, with the men to follow at 4:06 p.m. local time (2:06 a.m. ET).
All of the U.S. competitors in Gold Coast, with the exception of Greg Billington, have had to recover quickly after racing last weekend at the New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup in New Zealand.
Katie Zaferes (Hampstead, Md.), a 2016 Olympian, took the win last weekend in New Plymouth. Zaferes earned her first WTS victory last year at ITU World Triathlon Hamburg; her WTS resume also includes five silver medals and two bronzes. Also racing is two-time Olympian Sarah True (Hanover, N.H.), a seven-time WTS medalist. In Gold Coast in 2015, True (2nd) and Zaferes (3rd) were part of a U.S. podium sweep along with race winner Gwen Jorgensen.
Summer Cook (Thornton, Colo.) looks to return to the podium after taking her first WTS victory last year at ITU World Triathlon Edmonton. Taylor Spivey (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), who finished fourth last weekend in New Plymouth, will be chasing her first WTS podium. Renee Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.), Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) and Chelsea Burns (Seattle, Wash.) are also on the start list.
In the men’s race, 2016 Olympian Billington (Spokane, Wash.) looks for repeat success after posting his best career WTS finish (7th) in Abu Dhabi in March. Billington’s previous career best was 10th place, which he recorded in Gold Coast last year.
Joining Billington on the start list are 2016 Olympian Ben Kanute (Geneva, Ill.), last weekend’s New Plymouth runner-up Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), and Kevin McDowell (Geneva, Ill.)
Visit wts.triathlon.org for complete men’s and women’s start lists.
The World Paratriathlon Series will also make a stop in Gold Coast, following the same course as the WTS elite races. The paratriathlon races are set to begin at 7 a.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) on Saturday. Paralympic champion and two-time world champion Allysa Seely (Glendale, Ariz.) headlines the women’s PTS2 field, while two-time Paralympian Chris Hammer (Troy, Mich.) is in search of a victory in the men’s PTS5 race. Visit triathlon.org for complete paratriathlon start lists.
Each of Saturday’s races will air live at https://triathlonlive.tv/, and season passes are available for purchase. The World Triathlon Series will feature nine races this season culminating with the Grand Final in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in September.
Triathlon fans can be a part of the action with TRIFECTA, the official triathlon fantasy game of the ITU World Triathlon Series. Registration for TRIFECTA is open now at trifecta.usatriathlon.org and podium picks must be submitted prior to the start of the first race.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
