With ETU races taking place in Germany and Ukraine on Saturday there is no rest for the triathlon fans as Sunday sees eyes turn to Istanbul. This year will again see the race cover the Sprint Distance but this year there is an added bonus for the spectators because Lisa Nordén SWE is continuing her return to racing following a break due to an injury. The Olympic Silver medallist made a spirited return to the scene in Baku where she finished strong to take the bronze. Not ranked highest in this race due to her absence, she will be aiming to make a huge improvement in her points by racing in the city where Europe meets Asia.
She will be up against Anastasia Abrosimova RUS who following a great swim in Baku, had a disappointing bike and run in the tough conditions in Baku. Coming up to Europe from Australia is the 2014 Edmonton U23 silver medallist, Gillian Backhouse. She is now racing Elite and will be hoping to find another gear in the run to take her towards the podium. Gaia Peron will be racing under the ITU flag as part of her process of moving to Turkey. Formally racing for Italy she has been racing around the world since 2010 and will be looking forwards to delivering a good result for her new federation. Ten nations will take part.
The full start list can be seen here.
For the men, who race in the afternoon, there will be a battle for the podium. Leading the ranking and with a powerful performance in Madrid that took him to silver, is Mexican Cesar Saracho. Two Australians have secured good positions; Drew Box and Cameron Good but they are up against Jonas Schomburg who now races for Turkey and who had a great 6th place in Baku. Turkish fans will be expecting Gültigin Er to lead the swim. With his 8th place in Baku he will be hoping to get closer to the podium on home soil. 17 nations from all over the world will take part.
Full start list for the men can be found here
Good course, great hospitality and of course prize money is there for the taking.
1st. 1,565 EUR
2nd. 1,250 EUR
3rd. 940 EUR
4th. 625 EUR
5th. 500 EUR
6th. 435 EUR
7th. 375 EUR
8th. 250 EUR
9th. 185 EUR
10th. 125 EUR
With excellent weather conditions predicted for tomorrow this is going to be a great race to watch.