ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Nov, 2021) The world’s best triathletes arrived in Abu Dhabi for this weekend’s World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi, presented by Daman.
The two-day event, organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and hosted at Yas Marina Circuit, will welcome 232 elite athletes competing in both the World Triathlon Championship Series elite men’s and women’s sprint races and the World Triathlon Para Championships.
In the elite’s women’s sprint race, a field of 55 top-ranked athletes will compete, including current world number one Laura Lindemann, Olympic gold medallist Flora Duffy from Bermuda, and a strong contingent of British athletes, including Olympic medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown.
"I am so excited to be here and to start the 2022 season in Abu Dhabi. It feels strange that being the Olympic and World Champion, I missed the first race of the season in Hamburg, and I have a really high start number, so it will be a matter of performing well and getting ready for the season," Duffy said.
Current world number one Tim Hellwig from Germany and world number two Paul Georgenthum from France will go head-to-head in the elite men’s race.
The World Triathlon Para Championships, which Abu Dhabi is hosting for the first time, will include nine sports classes of para triathlon, and will have a field boasting many Paralympic stars, including gold medallists Jetze Plat from the Netherlands, Susana Rodriguez from Spain, Alexis Hanquinquant from France and Clare Cashmore from the UK.
"I am so happy to race here in Abu Dhabi for the first time. The Formula 1 circuit is amazing, and the people here are so welcoming, it is a pleasure to be here," Plat said.
"I am delighted to welcome these stars back to Abu Dhabi to compete in what will be the sixth year of the World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi," said Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Friday will see the elite races of the World Triathlon Para Championships starting at 8:00, with the Elite Race Men's Sprint Distance and the Elite Race Women's Sprint Distance starting at 14:11 and 16:11, respectively. On Saturday, the Age Group Races and Junior races will start from 7:00.
The World Championship Series Abu Dhabi will be the second stage of the World Triathlon Championship Series in 2022. The season will finish with Abu Dhabi hosting the best triathletes in the world in November 2022 for the World Triathlon Championship Finals.
