#Triathlon World Cup series travels to Australia for the 2018 Mooloolaba ITU World Cu

For the 16th consecutive year, world’s top triathletes will go to the Sunshine Coast this weekend to participate in the second stop of the ITU World Cup Tour, in Mooloolaba. With athletes focussing on preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the start list for the 2018 ITU Mooloolaba World Cup is packed with potential medallist to shine in Gold Coast in one month. The tough course and incredible spectator support create an electric atmosphere that makes Mooloolaba an athlete favourite race spot. Athletes will have to face a challenging sprint course with a beach start for a 750m swim clockwise in the main Mooloolaba beach. The bike course will consist of four laps on a quite technical and hilly 5 km loop along Mooloolaba Esplanade and Alexandra Parade.  The athletes will then go for a 5km run on an undulating 3 lap course taking in stunning coastal views along the way.   Women’s preview Weoning number one in the Sunshine Coast will be American Kirsten Kasper, who had an impressive start of the season finishing in fourth place in WTS Abu Dhabi only one week ago. “After Abu Dhabi, I relocated to the Gold Coast and I will be based here until the New Plymouth World Cup”, she said. “I’m excited to be in Australia to race and to train for this month. The field for this weekend’s race looks well rounded and there are definitely girls with early season form leading into the Commonwealth Games. I’m happy to have a race under my belt and excited to keep building on that performance”. She will definitely have to keep an aye on the Aussi squad present in Mooloolaba, led by Charlotte McShane and including the bronze medallist in WTS Abu Dhabi, Natalie Van Coevorden, who showed that she is one to watch for in sprint races with hard bike courses, like the one athletes will face in the Sunshine Coast. “I have recovered well post travel from Abu Dhabi and this week has mostly been about getting the body moving again”, said Natalie.  “The high from last weekend is a great overall vibe to have and motivates me more for this weekend’s racing,” she said. Also in great form is Emma Jeffcoat (AUS), who won the Oceania Sprint Championships only three weeks ago in Devonport. The Aussies will have to watch out for the American team, also really strong this year in Mooloolaba. Chelsea Burns has shown a consistency this season on sprint distances, with a 7th place in Cape Town and a 18th in Abu Dhabi, under really challenging... Triathlon.org News Feed http://ift.tt/2oVtUYI