Abu Dhabi: A ‘fast and furious’ race is on the cards as some of the world’s best triathletes have descended on Abu Dhabi to take part in the season-opening ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS) event here on Saturday.
The 120 elite athletes will be taking part in the sprint or Olympic distance races and both the men’s and women’s categories are packed with seasoned stalwarts, who are all raring to make a mark as they come out of a five-month break for the first WTS event to be held in the Middle East.
Although the men’s field will be without injured Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee, his brother and London 2012 bronze medallist Jonathan will lead Britain’s charge.
The Brownlee brothers chose to finish as joint winners at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon last year, but this time Jonathan will be alone as he takes on defending series champion Javier Gomez.
“I raced here 12 months ago and it was a different race. It took us three-and-a-half hours. This one will be fast and furious,” said Brownlee. “If the sport is to grow, it has to come to places like these. I’m looking forward to racing here again.”
The only worry for the Briton is how his body will cope with the weather here after arriving from a bitterly cold UK.
“Hopefully it wouldn’t be too hot. It was a bit of an inconsistent year for me last season. But hopefully in this race, I can show what I’ve got. It is a short sprint race and it will be exciting,” the 24-year-old said.
“You have to improve in all three disciplines. That’s the way to approach it and you have got to hold on to that. Being consistent is the most important thing. I don’t know what to expect with such a top quality field, but being in the top three would be great.”
Jonathan’s main rival and Spanish ace Gomez is on his maiden trip to the Middle East and was also pumped up for the event.
“It is exciting to be here in Abu Dhabi. I haven’t seen the course yet but I expect it to be tough and interesting. It is the first event of the season and you really don’t know what to expect,” he said.
“I feel the wind might be a factor. It is always good if you start positively. Then it holds you well for the rest of the year.
“This is an Olympic [qualification] year [building up to Rio 2016] and it will be good to get some racing here and see how you are placed and see what shape you are in. At this high level, you really cannot have any weaknesses.
“It is about having a good preparation, training and being consistent. And, on the day of the race, it is important that you don’t make mistakes. It is a new venue and it is the first race of the season. I will try my best.”
In the women’s action, a battle is on the cards between Americans Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True (nee Groff). The pair renew their rivalry after ending last season ranked one and two respectively.
“I’m happy to join this event. I would like to thank the ITU for bringing this event to this incredible country. It is a change of climate for me as I was in snow, so this will definitely keep us on our toes,” said True, 33.
“You don’t know what people have done in the past five months but nothing changes much. There might be a few surprises but you don’t know what to expect. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. That is what makes the sport so exciting and dynamic.
“Lot of athletes use this as a gauge of where they stand and they probably hit the peak in August. I’m hoping to start off well with a good result.”
Jorgensen was bracing herself for a windy race and felt that she would reap the rewards of training in Australia during the off season.
“We have trained hard but one should remember that we also need to recover. The focus would be on all three disciplines. The most important thing is practice and hard work. The Olympic qualifying event later this year is the focus. So I will go out there and see where I’m at,” she said.