This Sunday Almere, Netherlands will host the 2008 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. The event features a triple Olympic distance races set at a 4-kilometer swim, 120-kilometer bike and 30-kilometer run. The elites will vie for a $70,000 USD prize purse split equally between men and women.
On the women’s side, all eyes will surely be on Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain. The multiple Ironman champion headlines the elite women’s field as she eyes her first ITU Long Distance world championship. Wellington seeks to become the third straight British woman to take the title, following Bella Comerford’s win in Canberra in 2006 and Leanda Cave victory in Lorient, France last year. Other notables in the women’s field include 2004 Olympian Delphine Pelletier of France who finished fourth last year and fellow Athens Olympian Lucie Zelenkova of the Czech Republic. The elite women start at 8:25am local time.
Click here for full women’s start list
In the men’s field, last year’s champion Julien Loy will defend his crown in Almere. Last year in Lorient, Loy anchored a French sweep of the men’s podium to the delight of the French partisan crowd. This weekend Loy leads a well represented French team with more athletes than any other country in the men’s field. The group includes last year’s bronze medallist Sebastien Berlier. Also in the field is 2005 champion Viktor Zyemtsev of the Ukraine. The elite men start at the same time as the women at 8:25am local time.
Click here for full men’s start list
Click here for more event information
Past Champions:
2007 Lorient ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, France - July 15
Women’s champion - Cave, Leanda (GBR)
Men’s champion - Loy, Julien (FRA)
2006 Canberra ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Australia - November 19
Women’s champion - Comerford, Bella (GBR)
Men’s champion - Sindballe, Torbjorn (DEN)
2005 Fredericia ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Denmark - August 6
Women’s champion - Smet, Kathleen (BEL)
Men’s champion - Zyemtsev, Viktor (UKR)
2004 Sater ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Sweden - July 3
Women’s champion - Kozulina, Tamara (UKR)
Men’s champion - Sindballe, Torbjorn (DEN)
2003 Ibiza ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Spain - May 11
Women’s champion - Berasategui, Virginia (ESP)
Men’s champion - Llanos, Eneko (ESP)
2002 Nice ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, France – September 22
Women’s champion - Estedt, Ines (GER)
Men’s champion - Neveu, Cyrille (FRA)
2001 Fredericia ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Denmark - August 5
Women’s champion - Kristensen, Lisbeth (DEN)
Men’s champion - Sandvang, Peter (DEN)
2000 Nice ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, France – June 18
Women’s champion - Mouthon-Michellys, Isabelle (FRA)
Men’s champion - Sandvang, Peter (DEN)
1999 Sater ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Sweden - July 11
Women’s champion - Nielsen, Suzanne (DEN)
Men’s champion - Sandvang, Peter (DEN)
1998 Sado Island ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Japan – September 5
Women’s champion - Hill, Rina (AUS)
Men’s champion - Van Lierde, Luc (BEL)
1997 Nice ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, France – June 8
Women’s champion - Estedt, Ines (GER)
Men’s champion - Van Lierde, Luc (BEL)
1996 Muncie ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, USA – September 7
Women’s champion - Smyers, Karen (USA)
Men’s champion - Welch, Greg (AUS)
1995 Nice ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, France – October 1
Women’s champion - Rose, Jenny (NZL)
Men’s champion - Lessing, Simon (GBR)
1994 Nice ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, France – June 26
Women’s champion - Mouthon-Michellys, Isabelle (FRA)
Men’s champion - Barel, Rob (NED)