New Zealanders prepare for a chilly world Champs

Vancouver is turning on the cold for this weekend’s World Triathlon Championships with air temperature expected to be around 15 degrees and the water a nippy 13 degrees.

While the Kiwis are not unused to those sorts of conditions, it will be a long way removed from the weather expected at Beijing in August when many of the same athletes will contend for Olympic glory.

New Zealand will be well represented in all categories from elite men and women through to a 110 strong age group team, with racing starting on Friday (NZT) with the junior races.

Leading the way for New Zealand will be Bevan Docherty in the men’s and Sam Warriner in the women’s elite races, due to go in the early hours of Monday NZT. Both fields will be without question the toughest of the year, with only New Plymouth in April coming close for strength and depth in the elite races.

Warriner is coming off the back of a heavy training block at her base in Penticton (Canada) where she has trained with Canadian representative Jill Savege.

“Training has been going well in Penticton. I have just completed my last hard sessions this past weekend. This will be the first time I will actually go into a race in 2008 with a taper. I’m fit although obviously I’m aiming to peak in August for the Olympics. I have done no speed work so I’m probably at about 80% race speed at the moment.”

Warriner does not have a great track record at past World Championships, with a best of just 11th, something she is keen to amend this weekend.

“I am in great shape and know that I have trained as hard as I can so anything is possible. The biggest challenge for me will be keeping mentally strong and in control when race distractions arise. That’s why we are using this event to fine tune my preparations for Beijing.

“I love the World Championships as that’s where it all began for me as an age-group athlete, but I seem to have a love/hate relationship at the same time as I’ve never performed to my full potential. One things for sure though, you just can’t beat pulling on a race suit with the Silver Fern on it at the World Championships, it really is something special.”

Warriner will not want for company on the start line with a strong New Zealand team of Andrea Hewitt, Debbie Tanner, Nicky Samuels and Evelyn Williamson all making the start list.

However, Docherty is at the moment the sole Kiwi in the elite men’s field but may yet be joined by Clark Ellice. Ellice is fourth on the alternate list and will have to wait until the race briefing on Saturday morning (NZT) to hear if he has made the field.

Olympians Shane Reed and Kris Gemmell have both decided to miss Vancouver, preferring to continue with their training and racing programme with Beijing top of mind.

New Zealand will be well represented in theU23 Men’s race on Monday morning, with Martin van Barneveld, Tony Dodds, Ryan Sissons and Ben Visser all lining up in the silver fern.

22 year old Van Barneveld has been training at altitude in Colorado and can’t wait to race.

“The start list has come out for the U23 field and it just makes me want to race. I just have to be patient though, complete my training, and then I will travel down to Vancouver on 5th of June to join the NZ team just 3 days before Worlds. I can’t wait to feel the benefit from altitude and to put all this hard training into a race.”

The women’s U23 race will feature Anna Elvery, Julia Grant and Jacqui Seebold from New Zealand.

Event Schedule, all dates and times are NZT – please be conscious Vancouver is 19 hours behind NZ time.

Friday 6th June 2008
2:00am Junior Women World Championship
4:00am Junior Men World Championship

Saturday 7th June 2008
1:30am Age Group Sprint Distance World Championship (first wave)
Racing continues through the morning

Sunday 8th June 2008
1:40am Age Group & AWAD World Championship (first wave)
Racing continues through the morning

Monday 9th June 2008
2:00am U23 Women World Championship
5:00am U23 Men World Championship
8:00am Elite Women World Championship
11:00am Elite Men World Championship

Live Coverage details:
http://www.triathlon.org/?call=TVRBMg==&nwsid=2028.