Warriner chases world number one ranking this weekend

The ITU BG World Cup Series concludes this weekend in Mexico with Huatulco hosting the final World Cup race of the season, the 17th time Mexico has played host to such a race.

All eyes will be on Kiwi Sam Warriner to see if she can take the number one ranking away from Australian Felicity Abram. Warriner must finish 7th or higher to do this, 7th will see her draw equal with Abram but win on count back given she has won a World Cup race this season.

Warriner brings good form to Mexico after her silver medal result in France a fortnight ago while fellow Kiwi Andrea Hewitt is also a great chance at a podium finish to her season.

The men’s race will feature Kiwi Kris Gemmell as he too looks to end a disappointing season on a high.

Huatulco Race Preview, courtesy of the ITU

The end of the 2008 BG Triathlon World Cup series will be hosted in Huatulco, Mexico this Monday morning NZT. Starting early on October 27, with the elite women at 3am and the elite men following at 5:45am NZT the results should bring an interesting influence on this year’s athlete ranking.

New Zealand has a strong presence this race with 2008 Olympians Samantha Warriner and Andrea Hewitt. Adding to her five career gold medals at the Tongyeong world cup in April, Warriner is racing for the number one ranking and title of world cup series champion. Warriner needs to finish seventh or higher to take the top spot from an absent Felicity Abram of Australia, who after a long season at the top has developed an illness and will not race. The last Kiwi to win the season title was Olympian Hamish Carter in 1998. Warriner’s teammate, Hewitt, victoriously took the Kitzbuhel world cup title in 2007 and as a past under23 world champion will surely be near the front. Winning the latest world cup event in France, Lisa Norden of Sweden, is expected to show great results in this Sunday’s race. A podium win can boost Norden to the prestigious third place ranking, beating out Aussie Emma Moffatt and Great Britain’s Helen Tucker.

Olympian Sarah Haskins, runner up in the Vancouver world championships this June is pushing for the podium. She will be racing to add to her two podium finishes, and 12 top ten spots in the world cup series. Others to watch include Great Britain’s Andrea Whitcombe, who is having a solid season winning the Tiszaujvaros world cup in July, and Czech Vendula Frintova after just having won a European cup last month in Poland. Frintova has had a solid 2008 season taking bronze in Tongyeong in April.

For the elite men, France is bringing a strong team of Olympians Laurent Vidal and Tony Moulai.. Moulai was the runner up in Lorient and Lisbon European championships. Mexico’s Serrano has home soil advantage and won the Nevis Pan American Cup this March.

American Olympians Matthew Reed, a recent winner of the Portland Premium Pan American Cup, and Jarrod Shoemaker, last year’s continental cup winner, are bringing their A-game to Huatulco. Needing only 13th place to overcome the South African Hendrik De Villiers, Reed will be squaring off with Moulai for a spot in the top ten ranking of this year’s world cup series and a piece of the US$250,000 world cup series bonus pool up for grabs.

Kiwi Kris Gemmell will be determined to finish a disappointing year on a high and put behind him the issues of Beijing. Gemmell has not raced extensively this year and so does not feature highly in the year end rankings but is an obvious contender on Monday morning NZT.

This is a first time event for the coastal city of Huatulco in the Santa Cruz district, the course is 70% flat and 30% with an elevation of 60 meter on a distance of 1.5Km. The warm water will be a nice bonus for the athletes; however, the heat could prove to be an obstacle for some.

Click here for full men’s start list

Be sure to log onto www.triathlon.org for live coverage from Huatulco.

Elite Women – Ones to Watch:

Samantha Warriner (NZL) – 2004 & 2008 Olympian, 6 world cup wins

Lisa Norden (SWE) – world cup winner, 2007 Under23 world champion

Andrea Hewitt (NZL) – 2008 Olympian, 1 world cup win

Andrea Whitcombe (GBR) – 3 world cup wins

Elite Men – Ones to Watch:

Frederic Belaubre (FRA) – 2004 & 2008 Olympian, 3 world cup wins

Kris Gemmell (NZL) – 2008 Olympian, 3 world cup wins

Tony Moulai (FRA) – 2008 Olympian, 2008 European championships silver medallist

Matthew Reed (USA) – 2008 Olympian, multiple top-10 finisher

Pre-race notes are up and ready for download. Link: https://www.triathlon.org/media/stats/Huatulco-pre-race-notes.pdf

A further advisory will be issued with the usual television feed details and contacts at the event.