One of the most anticipated triathlon seasons is set to begin this Saturday with the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series kicking off in Abu Dhabi.
The world’s fastest athletes will toe the UAE start line for a chance of earning the first Columbia Threadneedle Rankings points of the year, all leading up to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games set for this summer.
Last year Abu Dhabi joined the WTS calendar and became the first Middle Eastern city to ever host a WTS event. This year, the city returns to open up the 2016 season, but this year the course will feature the standard 1.5k Swim, 40-k Bike and 10-k Run distance.
The elite men are set to compete first, but the women have a jam-packed start list full of talent that is sure to open the season in a blaze including Bermuda’s Flora Duffy.
While two-time World Champion and reigning Abu Dhabi victor Gwen Jorgensen (USA) is holding back from starting her season this weekend, compatriots Sarah True and Katie Zaferes are all squared away to compete and top the women’s start list. True was the second runner-up for the World Champion title last season, after finishing third in the overall Columbia Threadneedle Rankings.
Rachel Klamer and Duffy are the only other two women to appear on the start list that finished in the top 10 of the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings last year.
Duffy will arguably once again be one of the fiercest competitions on the bike course this season, as she proved right here in Abu Dhabi last year when she stormed through the bike for her first WTS podium finish. She consistently takes a place in the front of the lead pack during the second leg. This year she is hoping to make some huge personal gains in her performances, especially as she gets ready to compete in her third Olympic Games.
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