Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield and Beijing hopeful Kirsten Sweetland were at English Bay in Vancouver today in the three-week countdown to the Vancouver BG Triathlon World Championships. Both flew over from Victoria for the afternoon to check out the course and offer some tips to kids and age-group athletes. Whitfield took advantage of being right at the race venue by suiting up for a quick swim with the kids even in spite of the rain.
Its not as cold as I thought it would be. Its actually quite nice, said Whitfield when he came back to shore.
Whitfield, who has already pre-qualified for this summers Beijing Olympics, won last years world cup here in Vancouver and will be aiming for his first world championship here in Vancouver on June 8. Attaining the elusive world title will make him the only triathlete to hold both Olympic and world championship golds.
To win a world championship at home would be huge, its something Id put on the resume. But its not like I can go to the supermarket shelf and pick one up, I have to figure out how to win one, said Whitfield.
He has raced just once this year, winning his 11th world cup title in Japan last month. The rest of the time Whitfield has been training at his home in Victoria. Part of his training group includes the promising up and comer Sweetland, who achieved something even Whitfield himself has never accomplished, being crowned junior world champion in 2006.
The clich is that she learns from me but I learn so much from her, said Whitfield of Sweetland, who is 13 years his junior. Shes so keen and works so hard.
This June Sweetland will not only be racing for a world championship but also for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. A top-8 performance in Vancouver will ensure her a spot on the Beijing start line which means she has more at stake than most athletes at the world championships.
Im not a person who notices pressure too much. I think of it as nothing to lose, I only have something to gain, said Sweetland. Im really looking forward to it and being in the home province is a real advantage where I know everyone in the crowds is cheering for the Canadians.
Like Whitfield, the teenage prodigy hasnt raced much this year, a fifth place at a world cup in South Korea, good enough to fulfill the first criteria for Olympic selection. Sweetland has taken lessons from last season when she competed in eight world cups leading up to the world championships in Hamburg, a race she failed to finish due to injury.
I really love racing but when I saw the after effects of that, Id rather be smart than get myself tired and over-traveled and over-raced. I had a bit of a bumpy winter so I really had to get some smooth training in.
Earlier in the day, Lorne Mayencourt, MLA for Vancouver-Burrard proudly announced the province of British Columbia would be providing $400,000 funding for the event. With approximately 3000 athletes, coaches, team managers and international media coming to B.C., the world championships are expected to generate $10-million in economic activity.
The Triathlon Vancouver Organizing Committee (TVOC) is pleased to confirm that a total of 60 countries will be represented at the Vancouver BG Triathlon World Championships. The event kicks off on June 5 with the junior men and womens races. Under23 and elite races will be staged on Sunday June 8th.
Click here to visit www.triathlonvancouver.com, the events official website
Kirsten Sweetland helps Simon Whitfield zip up his wetsuit
Whitfield checking out the world championship course in Vancouver