With the Rio de Janeiro Olympic triathlon race countdown set to only a matter of weeks, a collection of Rio bound athletes along with other top elites are traveling to Canada this weekend for the 2016 Montreal ITU Triathlon World Cup.
As the last major competition before the Olympic roster hits up Copacabana Beach, the first-time host city of Montreal is expected to see a sea of talent as it presents a fast sprint-distance course for its debut event.
Flora Duffy (BER) will headline the women’s start list this weekend as she has been having the season of her life this year, checking multiple career milestones off her list. Currently standing as the Columbia Threadneedle rankings leader in the World Triathlon Series, she earned three WTS podiums in a row including her first WTS win in Stockholm. As she lines up in Montreal this Sunday to race in one final competition before heading to Brazil, the event will be her first World Cup appearance since 2013.
Another Olympic destined athlete, Aussie Ashleigh Gentle also is set to compete in Montreal. After earning the silver medal at the WTS Yokohama event in May and guaranteeing her spot on the Australian roster, Gentle has taken some time off from competing on the circuit in order to train. Now with only a short time before Rio, Montreal can welcome Gentle back to competing.
Gentle’s Olympic teammate Erin Densham also will compete in Montreal. And also like Gentle, Densham has not competed since Yokohama, so this weekend will be a crucial race for competition strategy before Rio.
While she will not be heading to Rio this summer, USA’s Kirsten Kasper can be expected to be a top contender this weekend. She has two World Cup podiums this year, earning the bronze in Mooloolaba and New Plymouth, and while she has yet to claim a World Cup victory, there is no reason that Montreal could be the city where she can seize it. However, compatriot Summer Cook was able to earn her first career World Cup victory this year in Chengdu and could be looking to add to her collection this Sunday.
The host nation will be represented by several leading women. Serving as the only Olympic bound athlete on the weekend’s roster, Kirsten Sweetland is a top contender for Canada. While they are not heading to Rio, lining up next to Sweetland will be compatriots Paula Findlay and Dominika Jamnicky. All three women have had solid seasons so far this year and could be the hope for the host country to get onto the podium.
Other strong names turning up for the sprint course is Yuka Sato (JPN) and Jolanda Annen (SUI). Both women will become first-time Olympians this year and already have experience with World Cup success. In 2015, Sato earned her first World Cup victory in Tongyeong, while just this year Annen also grabbed her first World Cup win in Hautulco.
Click here for full women’s start list.
The women will get the 2016 Montreal ITU Triathlon World Cup underway at 16:30 on Sunday August 7, while the men will follow at 18:00 local time. Follow all of the action with live timing at triathlon.org/live and on twitter @triathlonlive.
