Budapest, Hungary The world's top triathletes are in beautiful Budapest, Hungary, ready to take on the second annual Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Grand Final. After races in Sydney, Seoul, Madrid, Hamburg, London and Kitzbühel, the final event of the 2010 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series lands in the Hungarian capital, showcasing many of Budapest's most iconic landmarks. On Saturday and Sunday, world champions will be crowned in the Age Group, Junior, U23, Paratriathlon and Elite categories. Over 3,000 athletes representing 67 nations are scheduled to compete in this weekend's events. The Elite races will be shown live in 15 countries and at a later date in an additional 14 countries.
Photo credit: Delly Carr/triathlon.org
The race for the women's world title is even tighter, with reigning world champion Emma Moffatt of Australia and Kiwi Andrea Hewitt separated by only 52 points. Neither Moffatt nor Hewitt have won a Series race this season, but both have been incredibly consistent, scoring six podium finishes between the two them. If Hewitt finishes one spot ahead of Moffatt in Budapest, she'll have a great shot at taking the title.
Sweden's Lisa Norden is currently third, 204 points back of Hewitt. She's been on a roll as of late, winning in Hamburg and also taking top honours at the first-ever ITU Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne three weeks ago. If the Swede takes the win and Moffatt and Hewitt finish off the podium, Norden will be world champion.
Other women with a good shot at taking the 2010 crown include Brit Helen Jenkins (currently 4th), Switzerland's Nicola Spirig (5th) and Chile's Barbara Riveros Diaz (6th).
Many of the women will have their eyes on 21-year-old Canadian Paula Findlay, who has won the last two Series races in London and Kitzbühel. Because she's only competing in her third event of the Series, it's highly unlikely that she'll be able to move up to the top spot in the rankings, but she'll no doubt be a threat to take her third consecutive win.
The Elite men will race at 1:00 pm local time on Saturday, with the Elite women to follow at 2:00 pm on Sunday. Live video coverage will be available at triathlon.org/tv
RACE SCHEDULE:
Elite women start - Sunday, September 12 - 2:00pm - click here to view time in your location.
WEBSITES:
http://www.triathlon.org
http://budapest.triathlon.org
Click here for women's start list
2010-09-10
