In the third stop of the 2017 World Triathlon Series the elites head to Japan to return to the familiar event of the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama.
Last year Yokohama played the home to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic qualifying event for many nations, but this season the Japanese harbour city returns to host the second standard-distance race of the year. As one of the athlete-favourite events on the WTS calendar, many popular names will be debuting to the WTS circuit to compete in their first event of the 2017 season.
One of those names is the 2016 reigning ITU World Champion, Flora Duffy (BER). After being forced to pull her name off the start list in both Abu Dhabi and Gold Coast this season due to injury, Duffy is finally ready to line up this weekend to begin her quest of reclaiming her world title. Duffy’s cinderella story was realized last year when she claimed four WTS podiums and two victories that aided in the seizing of the world crown for the first time for the Caribbean-island woman. So after having to miss out on the first two WTS competitions of the season, Duffy is eager to get back on the blue carpet.
But possibly Duffy’s biggest threat to her crown this year is Kiwi Andrea Hewitt, who has staked claims on the overall Series gold after she won both races this season in Abu Dhabi and Gold Coast. Hewitt has been unstoppable so far, proving that she is the top competitor in both a sprint and standard-distance setting. Her confidence and fitness in all three disciplines has been evident this year, so it is no surprise that she once again will enter Yokohama wearing the golden number one. And if she does snag another WTS gold, she will earn her second Yokohama victory after she won in the same venue back in 2011.
Great Britain fans will be delighted to see both Non Stanford and Vicky Holland starting their WTS seasons this weekend. Stanford raced in the Chengdu World Cup last weekend and walked away with the gold medal, so she comes in on high regards and ready to gain success in the larger and tougher series. While Holland planned to race in Chengdu as well, a sore calf left her to make the decision to pull out. But the Olympic bronze medallist is rested up and ready to embark on her 2017 race season.
As Yokohama always hosts one of the largest crowds of the season, the streets will be loud for Japan’s own Ai Ueda and Juri Ide. Ueda earned the bronze medal in Yokohama last year and took the silver medal in Yokohama in 2014. This season, while she has yet to make a podium she has shown strong running times, so it is only a matter of time before she steps up again. Ide on the other hand earned the bronze medal in Gold Coast this year. It was in 2009 that she also earned a bronze in Yokohama, so her reclaimed success could carry onto this weekend to get back on the podium.
USA will come stacked again with their roster of talent that has been dominating the nations this year. In Gold Coast, USA had three women in the top-ten with the top mark coming from Katie Zaferes. But Kirsten Kasper, Renee Tomlin and Summer Cook are putting up strong performances this season as well.
Of course the Aussies are another powerful nation with loads of talent. Charlotte McShane enters Yokohama with the highest ranking, but Gillian Backhouse and Ashleigh Gentle also enter with great success to be had this weekend. Gentle has one podium this year from Gold Coast and earned the silver medal in Yokohama last season, so she has the cards with her to continue her streak.
Click here for the full women’s start list.
The women will get the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama underway at 10:00 on Saturday, May 13, while the men will follow on Saturday at 13:00 local time. Follow all of the action live at triathlonlive.tv and on twitter @triathlonlive.
