Triathlon Gets London 2012 Preview
Triathlon will become one of the first sports to see a preview of the course planned for the London 2012 Olympic Games through an World Championship Series event taking place in Hyde Park.
The sixth round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series, taking place on 15th August, is not using the exact proposed course for the London Games, but athletes will swim in the Serpentine, bike on local roads and run around the Hyde Park venue.
The transition set up is in the likely spot forthe 2012 Games in three years time. The event has been backed by the International Triathlon Union, British Triathlon Federation and UK Sport.
With television broadcasting the event to over 100 countries around the world, the increased calibre of international competition has been prominent with the introduction of a new world championship series which sees seven high profile events spanning the likes of Madrid, Washington DC, Hamburg and London finishing with a Grand Final on Australia’s Gold Coast in September.
Alongside the elite competitors the event will also feature Europe’s largest paratriathlon competition with athletes flying in from across the world to compete. Organisers are expecting a crowd of 250,000 to watch the action unfold.
