Duathlon makes its full debut at the
2022 World Games this weekend, with men’s and women’s individual races on 16
July as well as a 2X2 Mixed Relay the following day in Birmingham, Alabama.
Launched in 1981, the World Games was
designed to be a major international event for sports that were not part of the
Olympic Games. Triathlon was originally included in the schedule back in 1993
before its full incorporation into the Olympics at Sydney 2000, and it was in
2013 and 2022 that duathlon was invited to be part of the World Games line up.
Back in Cali 2013, it was
irrepressible Ai Ueda and Belgium’s Rob Woestenborghs who took the titles, and
the Japanese legend returns to defend her title nine years later, having
switched her focus to duathlon, finishing with bronze and silver in the past
two World Championships in Aviles and Targu Mures.
It was Joselyn Daniely Brea Abreu
(VEN) who took that title in Romania, and she will also take to the World Games
start line along with the likes of Sandrina Illes (AUT) and Antoanela Manac
(ROU).
In the men’s race, the 2019 Duathlon
World Champion and runner up in Targu Mures Benjamin Choquert will go head to
head with fellow French talent Nathan Guerbeur as well as podium contenders
Arnaud Dely (BEL) and Netherlands Daan de Groot.
Other sports on the programme include
karate, gymnastics, squash, baseball and hockey, the action running from 8-17
July. Keep an eye on World Triathlon social media for all the updates from
Birmingham as the athletes get ready to go for World Games golds.
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
World Triathlon is the international
governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all
related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon,
cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in
Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the
programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic
programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development
of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and
transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the
sport to be extraordinary.
No comments:
Post a Comment