ITU World Triathlon Series Hamburg Preview

Hamburg is always one of the most exciting stops on the ITU calendar, with a field of 10,000 age-groupers and crowds of 300,000 creating an amazing atmosphere every year. In the men’s race, it might finally be the first time in a year that the sports three heavyweights, Alistair Brownlee, Jonathan Brownlee and Javier Gomez, line up against each other. In the elite women’s race, the four currently vying for that title will all toe the start line. This year, as well as two exciting elite sprint races Hamburg hosts the 2013 ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships.

About the race:

Hamburg is the longest-standing venue on the ITU World Triathlon Series calendar, having hosted events since 2002, including the 2007 World Championships, but featured a twist last
year with a fast and furious sprint race. After such a successful event, the sprint race format will return again this year. Not only is Hamburg the oldest event on the WTS schedule, it hosts the world’s largest age-group triathlon with more than 10,000 athletes having raced last year.

SCHEDULE:

Elite Women – Saturday 20 July – 15:50 (UTC/GMT + 2) The time in your area

Elite Men – Saturday 20 July – 18:00 (UTC/GMT + 2)

ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships – Sunday 21 July – 15:00 (UTC/GMT + 2)
WEBSITE:

https://hamburg.triathlon.org/

START LISTS:

Click here for women’s start list

Click here for men’s start list

Click here for Mixed Relay start list

LIVE COVERAGE:

Live video coverage be available on race day at triathlon.org/tv or at @triathlonlive on Twitter.

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: $180,000 USD (equal for men & women) /// $70,000 USD – Mixed Relay

COURSE PROFILE:

SPRINT DISTANCE – Course Map

Swim (750m) – Off a pontoon, athletes dive into an artificial lake within the city limits of Hamburg for a 2-lap swim. After the first lap there is a short landing with a 180-degree turn on land.

Bike (20km) – Athletes will bike four laps of a 5km loop on a flat, technical course that includes eight sharp turns around downtown Hamburg.

Run (5km) – Off the bike, athletes will run two laps of a 2.5km loop on a flat course. There are two 180-degree turns per lap.

MIXED RELAY – Course Map Each country will be allowed to enter two relays of four athletes (two men and two women). The teams will compete in the order of female-male-female-male. After each athlete finishes his or her swim-bike-run segment, he or she will tag the next athlete in the relay to make the exchange.
Swim (300m) – The swim start is at “Kleine Alster”. There is one lap to swim. The turning point is directly behind the bridge Reesendammbrücke. Therefore athletes have to swum though the tunnel twice. Swim exit is at “Kleine Alster” too.
Bike (6.6km) – Generally flat profile with no noteworthy climbs. There are two laps of 3.3km to ride; in total 6600m. The route is technically demanding, due to many changes of direction and tight turns.
Run (1.6km) – Generally flat course. There are two laps to run, with one 180° turns per lap.

STORIES TO WATCH FOR: The Olympic podium return –

It’s been on the cards at two previous races this year before late withdrawals have meant the battle between the three London 2012 Olympic medallists hasn’t eventuated. But Jonathan Brownlee, Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gomez are on the start list in Hamburg. With just three races left in the World Triathlon season, each and every race is crucial for gathering ranking points in the overall ITU World Championship series.

Going on form, it’s hard to see how Alistair Brownlee will be beaten, but Hamburg does throw up more questions than some other courses. One is that in the history of the ITU World Triathlon Series, neither Brownlee has raced in Hamburg. The last and only time the brothers were here was at the 2007 ITU World Championships, when Alistair claimed a silver in the junior men’s race and Jonathan finished 15th. In contrast, Gomez has a great track record. In 2007, he claimed a silver medal in the ITU World Championship race and since then has recorded one win, in 2010, and was second here over the sprint distance last year. It’s also interesting to note that since the opening race of the 2011 season in Sydney, where Alistair slipped on a rain-slicked road and finished 29th, the only time he has been beaten in an ITU race was over a sprint distance. Back in Lausanne in 2011, Jonny claimed the title and Gomez second.

Elite women battle for top spot –

Germany’s Anne Haug goes into this race as the leading ITU athletes this year, having amassed more points than anyone else, even Gomez. After a blistering start to the season in which she dominated the Mooloolaba World Cup and Auckland WTS, the only time she just slipped off the podium was in San Diego where she finished fourth. Sitting in the box seat to claim her first ITU World Championship, Haug will surely revel in the raucous Hamburg crowd. However the other two women who are within striking distance of the lead might have something to say about that this weekend. The USA’s Gwen Jorgensen is sitting in second, and the quick and mostly flat course will suit her down to the ground while Great Britain’s Jodie Stimpson has showed she is one of the most versatile athletes on the tour, with podium places on courses that range from technical and flat, to ones that require tough biking skills. She showed them off to exemplary fashion in Kitzbuehel just two weeks ago, breaking away solo to win her first career WTS title and will no doubt be on a confidence high this week. While Non Stanford sits behind Stimpson by more than 600 points, an overall world championship podium is still definitely within her reach and as she showed in Madrid and San Diego this year, when she’s on she is hard to catch.

Time for team spirit at 2013 Mixed Relay World Championships –

The dynamic, thrilling mixed relay format continues to grow in 2013 with teams from 20 National Federations on the start list in Hamburg. Each NF will select two men and two women, and each must complete a supersprint triathlon before tagging their teammate to start the next leg. In Hamburg, the course will consist of a 300m swim, 6.6km bike and a 1.6km run. So far this event has been dominated by two teams, Great Britain and Switzerland. The Swiss team took the first two titles in 2009 and 2010, but since then Great Britain have taken over the mantle, winning in 2011 and 2012.

PREVIOUS HAMBURG WINNERS

ITU World Triathlon Series Winners

Elite Women                                                   Elite Men

2012       Erin Densham (AUS)               Richard Murray (RSA)

2011       Emma Moffatt (AUS)               Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS)

2010       Lisa Norden (SWE)                  Javier Gomez (ESP)

2009       Emma Moffatt (AUS)               Jarrod Shoemaker (USA)

ITU World Cup Winners

Elite Women                                                     Elite Men

2008       Ricarda Lisk (GER)                  Daniel Unger (GER)

2006       Vanessa Fernandes (POR)        Javier Gomez (ESP)

2005       Samantha Warriner (NZL)        Filip Ospaly (CZE)

2004       Anja Dittmer (GER)                 Rasmus Henning (DEN)

2003       Anja Dittmer (GER)                 Andrew Johns (GBR)

2002       Jill Savege (CAN)                    Greg Bennett (USA)

ITU World Championship Winners

Elite Women                                                         Elite Men

2007       Vanessa Fernandes (POR)        Daniel Unger (GER)