Olympic silver and bronze medallists, Jonathan Brownlee and Vicky Holland are back in action this weekend at the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton, Canada. They compete along with seven other British triathletes in this final round of the Series before the Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico.
Just two weeks on from the Olympic Games in Rio, Brownlee is showing no signs of fatigue having won a ETU European Cup event in the Czech Republic last weekend. Securing points in Edmonton will give him the best possibly chance of challenging for the ITU world title, although Spain’s Mario Mola has won four rounds already this season and will go to the final with a points advantage over the rest of the field.
Brownlee said: "I go into Edmonton having achieved my goal for the season, an Olympic medal. After a great early season Mario is in pole position for the world championships this season. A good result this weekend will give me a very small chance of winning the World Series in Cozumel. It will be nice to race the remaining two races knowing I have done what I wanted this season."
Richard Murray will be another key contender this weekend having finished fourth in Rio. Britain’s Tom Bishop and Adam Bowden will line up along with Grant Sheldon, the recent winner of the FISU World University Triathlon in Nyon, Switzerland.
Bowden currently lies in tenth place in the Series overall; finishing in the top ten overall in the Series would be a fantastic achievement if he can maintain his form at the Grand Final.
Holland features in the women’s race having won on the same sprint distance course in near freezing conditions last year. However, it’s Jodie Stimpson who has the best opportunity to challenge for Series top spots at the Grand Final.
Stimpson is currently ranked second with just Flora Duffy of Bermuda ahead of her but Andrea Hewitt (NZL) is likely to move up the rankings this weekend having only done four rather than five scoring races so far this season.
Non Stanford can expect to do well in Edmonton following her fourth place in Rio. Lucy Hall and Jess Learmonth complete the British line up and should ensure it’s a fast race with their exceptional swim and bike pace.
Stanford and Holland have not completed enough races to challenge for overall Series titles, but the Grand Final race itself is shaping up to be an exciting prospect. A number of British athletes are all capable of ending their seasons on the podium.
Since winning Olympic bronze, Holland has been encouraging more people to take up triathlon through the #YourGoTri campaign. During the Rio triathlon events, registrations to GO TRI, a low cost, fun and accessible route into the sport, grew 516% compared to previous months.
Neither Olympic champions, Alistair Brownlee or Gwen Jorgensen (USA) are competing this weekend in Edmonton but are planning to compete at the Grand Final. Brownlee is preparing for a non-drafting race in Beijing next weekend before joining his brother in Cozumel.
How to watch: The Edmonton races are available to watch via BBC, triathlonlive.tv and other channels from 7-11pm on Sunday evening. The women’s race will start just after 7pm followed by the men’s race at 9pm.
ITU World Triathlon Edmonton; 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run; Sunday 4 September:
Women: Lucy Hall, Vicky Holland, Jessica Learmonth, Non Stanford, Jodie Stimpson
Men: Tom Bishop, Adam Bowden, Jonathan Brownlee, Grant Sheldon
