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ITU World Duathlon Champships get underway this weekend

Credit: Janos Schmidt / ITU Media : 2014 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Edmonton
Credit: Janos Schmidt / ITU Media : 2014 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Edmonton

The world’s best duathletes will line up this weekend in Southern Australian to duke it out for the 2015 ITU Duathlon World Championships titles. Elder Park in Adelaide serves as the race site for the run/ride/run format over a multi-loop course. The Age Group race offers both a sprint and standard distance option.

The Elite and U23 races feature a 10 km run/ 40.2 km bike/ 5 km run and will include both the defending men’s and women’s World Duathlon champions from France, Benoit Nicolas and Sandra Levenez who both also took the 2015 European Duathlon Championship titles in Alcobendas, Spain. Also in contention are former world champs Rob Woestenborghs of Belgium and Australia’s Felicity Sheedy-Ryan and Gillian Backhouse, last year’s Elite women’s silver medallist and Under 23 Duathlon World Champion.  Backhouse is also a very likely candidate for the Olympic triathlon team selection for Rio 2016.

 

In an interview with triathlon.org, Backhouse said, “The Duathlon World Champs in Pontevedra were one of my favourite races last year. I really enjoyed the different format and dynamics of a run/bike/run and since finding out that this year’s championships were to be held in Australia, I’ve been set on returning.”

 

“With the majority of the race season spent overseas we don’t often get to race at home so it will be exciting to race with the support of an Australian crowd. I was second last year to Sandra Levenez, so it would be nice to go one better this year and win the world championship, especially on home soil,” Backhouse said.

 

 

Elite Women’s Race – 11:30am Saturday 17th October, Elder Park
Elite Men’s Race – 2.45pm Saturday 17th October, Elder Park