martes, 27 de febrero de 2018

#Triathlon Top ranked athletes to kick off the WTS season with a sprint race in Abu Dhabi

The superstars of elite triathlon are just days away from competing in what is set to be one of the most thrilling races in ITU history, WTS 2018 season opener in Abi Dhabi taking place this Friday. Sixty-five of the sport’s leading male athletes from 25 countries, including eight of the world’s top 10 ITU ranked athletes, will go head-to-head for the season’s first honours on the iconic Yas Island.   The star-studded line-up will feature double World Champion and 2016 WTS Abu Dhabi winner, Mario Mola, facing his first race of the season the way he likes. With a fast and furious sprint race. “Abu Dhabi is the one date that really stands out in my calendar,” said Mario Mola. “It’s the season opener and the opportunity for triathletes to kick-start their season with a win on what is becoming one of the most exciting races on the WTS circuit. Last year was a real challenge for me with the new course on Yas Island and the competition was extremely high. But I’m hoping for a better result this year as I go for a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi wins. I’m familiar with the course and want to put on an amazing show for all the fantastic spectators that come out to show their support. The quality of triathletes competing this year is truly world-class, you just have to look at those who will be standing side-by-side on the start line and it already fills me with huge amounts of excitement. I can’t wait to get started!”. One of his most direct rivals will be, indeed, British two-time Olympic medallist Jonathan Brownlee, who returns to the WTS competition after finishing last season in sixth place in a year that finished way better than how it started for the younger brother of the Leeds’ superstars.  “Abu Dhabi is an awesome location for the season-opening WTS race - I raced on the Corniche course back in 2015, and am excited to check out the new course on Yas Island. The weather in March in Abu Dhabi will be perfect – a far cry from the conditions we have experienced in the UK this winter”, said the younger Brownlee. But those two won’t be the only ones who will have the world’s eyes set on to. The world-class line up for WTS Abu Dhabi 2018 men’s elite field have recorded a combined total of 282 wins on the ITU World Triathlon Series circuit and shared more than 700 podium places between them – delivering the strongest WTS Abu Dhabi line-up in the history of the event. Mola and Jonny Brownlee will be joined by more world-class... Triathlon.org News Feed http://ift.tt/2owHh2b