from Triathlon.org…
After back-to-back world cups in Asia, the series shifts to Richards Bay, South Africa this weekend for the third consecutive year. The Richards Bay BG Triathlon World Cup on May 4 marks the 199th world cup event in ITU’s history.
Last year a historic milestone took place as Hendrik DeVilliers became the first African triathlete to ever win a world cup and he did it in his home country, thrilling the locals. He’s back this year to defend his title while teammate Erhard Wolfaardt, the runner-up to DeVilliers at this year’s African Championships looks for his best world cup performance on home soil. Fellow South Africans Kate Roberts and Mari Rabie, this year’s African champion, look for similar success in the women’s field.
But with US$100,000 prize money and precious Olympic points at stake, they have to contend with a strong international field that is expected to include Germans Daniel Unger, the 2007 world champion and Ricarda Lisk, both of whom have already earned Olympic team nominations. Ukrainian veteran Volodymyr Polikarpenko is back seeking another spot on the Richards Bay podium.
Click here for women’s start list for Richards Bay
Click here for men’s start list for Richards Bay
A large Russian men’s contingent will also be on the start line looking to stock up on Olympic rankings points. Currently the Russian men are ranked ninth in the Olympic standings while only eight countries able to send a full team of three men to Beijing. A big Austrian squad will also be racing in Richards Bay as it is a designated Olympic qualifier for the Austrian federation.
