Helen Jenkins has won the ITU Triathlon world title following a second place finish to New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt at the Dextro Energy Triathlon World Championship Grand Final in Beijing. Second place was enough to secure the title and underline Britain's dominance following Alistair Brownlee's win yesterday.

A podium finish was necessary for Jenkins to win the world title for a second time. She last won it in Vancouver in 2008, when the champion was decided from a single race rather than a series.

The GE Great Britain Triathlon Team made a strong start with Kerry Lang, Helen Jenkins and Liz Blatchford dominating the swim. Vicky Holland got herself into the lead pack of fifteen strong cyclists that got away. 

Jenkins and Blatchford, in particular, rode well on the hilly 2008 Olympic course and although Jenkins was slower through the second transition than most of the rest of the front group, she soon established a lead with Hewitt.

Cresting the final hill into the finish area, Jenkins and Hewitt were locked together, but it was the New Zealander who had more in her legs for the final sprint.

Jenkins said: "I'm so pleased just to win the world champs again, it's amazing!"

Commenting on her second place finish in the race, she added: "It would have been awesome to take the win here, but, at the end but I just didn't have it in me. Because we had such a big gap I just thought 'keep it steady and hopefully I'll have something left at the end', but Andrea really just had a big kick at the end. I couldn't hang on to her."

Liz Blatchford held on for eighth place, her best result of the season and remarkable considering that she is carrying an injury that prevents her from doing any consistent run training. The performance was testament to the hard work on the bike that helped the lead group establish over a two minute gap from the chasing cyclists.

Jodie Stimpson was 34th,Kerry Lang 39th and Vicky Holland had problems on the bike that saw her drop from the lead pack to an eventual 57th.

The final race of the World Championships saw Gordon Benson finish 11th in the men's junior event. He and Marc Austin (27th) are both just 17 and have two more years as juniors.

British Triathlon's Olympic Programme Manager, Malcolm Brown summed up Britain's performances this weekend. He said: "There have been some outstanding individual performances, and even those who have been having a bad day have flogged themselves for every position. It's been an uplifting experience."

He added: "We have three world champions with Matt Sharp in the U23 and the two seniors. It's exactly the sort of position you'd want to be in going into an Olympic year."

Congratulations to Helen Jenkins, who has won the ITU Triathlon World Championships in Beijing.

Jenkins finished second to New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt to win enough points to win the Series overall and claim a second world title, having previously won it in Vancouver in 2008.

More news and reaction to follow...

The GE Great Britain Age Group Team delivered an outstanding 35 medals including nine golds across the sprint and standard distance races at the 2011 Beijing ITU Triathlon Age Group World Championships last weekend on 10 and 11 September.

In the sprint distance event, the GE Great Britain Age Group Team delivered seven gold, nine silver and eight bronze.

Watch the ITU video of the event from Beijing

Laura Siddall (30-34) was the fastest overall female triathlete in the sprint distance race crossing the line in 01:08.57. Anna Turvey (30-34) finished in fourth place overall in 01:11.55, with Katie Henderson (30-34) in fifth with a finishing time 01:12.27. Both triathletes won silver and bronze respectively in their 30-34 age group.

The female 30-34 age group was the most successful category with British triathletes taking the top five places and all nine competing finishing in the top eleven positions. The men’s race added to the British dominance in the 30-34 age group with James Stephenson winning gold and Ian Thwaites adding silver.

The fastest male GE Great Britain Age Group Team triathlete overall was Gareth Daniel (16-19) who finished fourth overall in a time of 01:05.12.

David Bellingham, Team Manager for the Sprint Distance GE Great Britain Age Group Team was delighted with the medal tally commenting: “ The GE Great Britain Age Group Team has delivered some great results over the weekend in the age group races and also the elite events of course! Here in Beijing it was a great sight seeing so many GB flags on the podium during the closing ceremony.”
 
In the standard distance event, the GE Great Britain Age Group Team have returned from Beijing with two gold, two silver and seven bronze.

Kate Robson (30-34) was the fastest overall British female recording a time of 02:20.13 to win gold in her age group. Graham Leitch (25-29) was the fastest British male overall finishing in 02:02.51, which was enough to secure bronze in his age group.

Britain’s second gold came from Colin Dixon in the male 40-44 age group. The 2010 British Triathlon Male Age Group Athlete of the Year retained his world title won in Budapest after delivering a performance that saw him exit the water in second place, before taking the lead on the bike and holding his position all the way to the finish line.

(all results and medal tallies are provisional)

AGE GROUP SPRINT RACE
GOLD  (7)
M20-24  Ryan Hanlon
F30-34  Laura Siddall
M30-34  James Stephenson
F45-49  Sara Burling
F50-54  Mary Hardwick
M60-64  Michael Dunne
M65-69  Michael Smallwood

SILVER  (9)
F30-34  Anna Turvey
M30-34  Ian Thwaites
F35-39  Gaelle Lebray
M35-39  David McDougall
M40-44  Andrew Shipton
F45-49  Sharon Hill
M45-49  David Hamdorff
M50-54  Ian Smith
F60-64  Elaine Scott

BRONZE  (8)
F30-34  Katie Henderson
M35-39  Barry Marshallsay
M40-44  Philip Goode
F50-54  Jane Saunders
M50-54  Keith Mahon
F55-59  Joanna Lewis
F60-64  Christine O'Reilly
F65-69  Georgina Jennings

AGE GROUP STANDARD DISTANCE RACE
GOLD  (2)
F30-34  Kate Robson
M40-44  Colin Dixon

SILVER  (2)
M55-59  Rob Caune
F60-64  Sarah Barrett 

BRONZE  (7)
F20-24  Kate Burley
M25-29  Graham Leitch
F40-44  Shona Girdwood
M45-49  Mark Hirsch
F50-54  Penny Rother
F55-59  Kim Shaw
M55-59  Michael Skivington

Britain's paratriathletes delivered four gold medals for the GE Great Britain Triathlon Team in Beijing as 72 athletes represented 18 National Federations in six categories in both the men's and women's competitions.

Britain's defending champions Jane Egan, Charlotte Ellis and Faye McClelland all retained titles won in Budapest last year, and Steven Judge achieved his first ever world title.

Nine years on from a car accident that crushed both his legs, Judge, 37 from South Yorkshire, ran to gold in the Tri3 category in Beijing, despite having been told at the time that he may never walk again.

He said: "It was amazing, everything I could dream of really. Hopes, dreams, everything and it finally came to fruition. I got gold so I am really really pleased.

With paratriathlon set to debut in Rio2016, Judge is already excited about the next major stepping stone towards the Paralympic Games, which is a home world championships in Hyde Park in 2013.

He added: "I've raced three times in Hyde Park already, I can only imagine that 2013 is going to be even better. I'm looking forward to it already."

Britain's James Smith was second in the same event, winning one of Britain's five silver medals.

Scotland's Jane Egan was dominant in the Tri1 category once again and team mate, Elizabeth McTernan followed her home for silver. Faye McClelland and Clare Cunningham achieved another one-two in the Tri4 category, as did Charlotte Ellis and Sara Butler in Tri6 (visually impaired).

Haseeb Ahmad won silver in the men's Tri6 event.

GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team Results:

Male Tri3

1. Steven Judge GBR 1:18:50
2. James Smith GBR 1:21:18        

Male Tri6

2. Haseeb Ahmad GBR 1:12:16  

Female Tri1

1. Jane Egan GBR 1:48:03             
2. Elizabeth Mcternan GBR 1:55:02          

Female Tri4

1. Faye Mcclelland GBR 1:16:21
2. Clare Cunningham GBR 1:25:00            

Female Tri6

1. Charlotte Ellis GBR 1:21:06      
2. Sara Butler GBR 1:23:18           

Alistair Brownlee claimed the triathlon world title today in Beijing with an emphatic win on the 2008 Olympic course. His younger brother, Jonathan, finished second behind him in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series and Will Clarke was ninth, ensuring that the GE Great Britain Triathlon Team goes well positioned into the Olympic year.

It was a classic Brownlee performance with Jonathan leading out the swim, despite his goggles having come off, and Alistair in second behind him. They were aggressive on the bike and darted onto the run, instantly opening up a gap over everyone else. Alistair took the win with time to enjoy the crowd, just as he did in Hyde Park five weeks ago.

Alistair was too strong for the rest of the field, including Jonathan, who dropped off the run pace and was caught by Switzerland's 2004 Olympic medallist, Sven Riederer in the closing stages. Bronze in the race was, however, enough to secure silver overall in the world championships standings.

On winning the world title for the second time in his career, Alistair Brownlee commented: "It's nice to do it twice and show it's not a fluke. I think that's my 11th world series win so I'm racking them up, which is good as well.

"I think this has been my best year, 2009 might look better on paper, but I think this year has been better. I've had better races, I've had a few dodgy ones on the way, but I think my best races have been really good and it was great to finish it off here today."

Jonathan Brownlee already has his mind on 2012, he said: "I feel good because I'm second in the world now, but the Olympics do seem a long way away. I hope I've done enough to get selected.

"It's been a long hard season, so I need to get home and have some rest and get ready for next year."

Will Clarke was ever present at the front of the bike leg, but faded slightly through the run. He finished 15th but secured a top ten place in the overall Series standings and underlined Britain's strength and depth with less than a year until the Olympic games.

Defending world champion, Javier Gomez finished sixth, which was enough to secure third overall in the Series. However, Olympic champion, Jan Frodeno, stopped after the swim, having been caught on the back of the head. Tim Don was unable to start having not recovered from illness in time for the race. 

Britain's Todd Leckie was 32nd and Adam Bowden 40th.

In the women's U23 championship Britain's Non Stanford and Lois Rosindale were sixth and eleventh respectively. Lucy Hall led the junior women's race but was knocked off her bike when a stray dog ran into her front wheel.

The women's senior race takes place tomorrow at 6.30am (UK time). Helen Jenkins will win the world title if she can finish on the podium. The men's junior race also takes place tomorrow.

Elite men's results:

1. Alistair Brownlee GBR 1:48:07
2. Sven Riederer SUI 1:48:14
3. Jonathan Brownlee GBR 1:48:17
4. Dmitry Polyansky RUS 1:48:20
5. Laurent Vidal FRA 1:48:24
15. Will Clarke GBR 1:49:28
32. Todd Leckie GBR 1:50:49
40. Adam Bowden GBR 1:51:49

Women's U23 results were unavailable at the time of writing, visit www.triathlon.org for more information.

Matt Sharp has won the U23 world title as part of a clean sweep for the GE Great Britain Triathlon Team. He was followed home by David McNamee and Tom Bishop.

Sharpe, 22, who trains in Loughboroug and is originally from Enfield, secured his first ever world title. Scotland's McNamee achieved his best ever result, winning in a sprint finish against Bishop. Just seven seconds separated the three British athletes on the line. Aaron Harris was also 12th.

Russians Igor Polyanskiy and Denis Vasiliev led out the swim as was expected, before a group of three broke away on the bike. However, the British trio were too strong on the run, working together to catch and pass the early leaders.

Sharp said: "This is the best I've ever felt in my life. I felt good for every step of the run and I was waiting for my moment to pounce.

"I think all of us, and Aaron as well on the bike, were making our presence felt, we were saying we're here, we're strong.

 "I've had a couple of unlucky years with a lot of injuries through winter and summer,  so I haven't been able to train or compete very much, but this year everything has gone right for me and it's paid off.

"I think we've made history today so it just shows the depth of talent we've got in the country and hopefully we've got some juniors coming up as well."

Tom Bishop, 20, won junior silver last year and claimed U23 bronze today. He said: "It came down to a sprint finish with Dave. He's my house mate and my team mate so to be honest it feels great to get third, knowing that Great Britain got one, two and three."

Looking forward to tomorrow's events, Bishop is anticipating more success. He added: "We didn't expect to get top three so to get 1-2-3 is amazing. Great Britain is in pole position throughout all age groups and our Age Group team as well. We've got a fantastic team."

Great Britain's paratriathetes have already added another four gold medals to Britain's tally, and the senior men race tomorrow, with Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee ranked number one and two in the world. The junior and U23 women's races also takes place along with hundreds of British amateur athletes racing for world titles in their age groups.

As the world celebrates International Paralympic day today, Great Britain's elite paratriathletes are preparing to race at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships on Beijing's Olympic course tomorrow. The GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team of twelve will look to build on the four gold medals won in Budapest last September.

Since they last raced in a global event, the sport has been added to the Paralympic programme for Rio 2016 and Britain's leading athletes have benefitted from being part of a World Class Paratriathlon programme, funded by British Triathlon.  

Reigning world champions Jane Egan, Faye McClelland, Iain Dawson and Charlotte Ellis are all in Beijing to defend their titles.

Egan, 41, from Kilbarchan, Scotland, has been dominant in the Tri 1 category since first competing in 2009. She has a rare neurological disorder affecting her central and peripheral nervous systems, which means she experiences pain and loses muscle control.

In order to complete the paratriathlon, during which she uses a hand cycle and racing chair, Egan is helped through the transitions by a support crew of British volunteers.

So critical are these transitions that Britain's Jimmy Goddard, competing in the same Tri 1 category, has flown out a personal crew to assist in his bid for a first world title. This has been thanks to some generous personal sponsors, including British Triathlon's Elite Team Partner, GE, that have got behind the former commando who became paralysed from the chest down in a rock climbing accident in 2004.

Both Iain Dawson and Charlotte Ellis compete in the Tri 6 category for visually impaired athletes. They compete with a guide, who helps them navigate the frantic swim, pilots a tandem bike and directs them through the run.

British Triathlon's National Paratriathlon Programme Manager, Jonathon Riall said: "Expectations are very high for this event. Our athletes are all arriving fit and without injury, and as a team we aspire to defend our position as top paratriathlon nation in the world."

Sarah Springman, British Triathlon President, commented: "The profile and awareness of paratriathlon has continued to grow since the successful bid for inclusion in Rio 2016.

"Beijing is the first ITU Paratriathlon World Championships since the IPC's decision, and with another strong GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team, we can expect a world class event with medal winning performances from our British paratriathletes."

The ITU Paratriathlon World Championships take place tomorrow at 3.45pm local time (8.45am UK time).

GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team

Tri 1: Jane Egan, Liz McTernan, Jimmy Goddard

Tri 3: Steve Judge, James Smith 

Tri 4: Faye McClelland, Clare Cunningham, Tom Perkins

Tri 6: Charlotte Ellis, Sara Butler, Haseeb Ahmad, Iain Dawson

British Triathlon is pleased to announce that organisers of triathlons, duathlons, paratriathlons and aquathlons in Great Britain can now register their events at https://events.britishtriathlon.org/Security/login?BackURL=%252F for the 2012 season.

In 2011 over 800 events in England, Wales and Scotland have or will have been permitted, an increase of 11% on events held in 2010. Events permitting through the Home Nation Associations are demonstrating their commitment to organising, safe, fair and enjoyable events for competitors, and making a vital contribution to the continued growth and success of the sport in the UK.

Organisers who choose to permit their events with the Home Nations Associations will have their events listed on the websites of British Triathlon and the Home Nations, and those events registered before midnight 31st October will be listed in the highly acclaimed British Triathlon Annual Handbook distributed to over 14,000 active triathletes in the UK. The list of permitted events each year is an illustrious one, including the Toshiba Windsor Triathlon, Virgin Active London Triathlon, GE Blenheim Triathlon and Dextro Energy Triathlon London, as well as hundreds of events run by clubs, commercial operators and charities.

Duncan Hough, Triathlon England Director for Events Rules and Technical comments: “The quality of events taking place in the UK continues to improve year on year, and through permitting their events organisers are demonstrating a responsible approach to delivering quality races, ensuring a bright future for our sport.”

Organisers wishing to register and permit their events should visit the events section of www.britishtriathlon.org and access the event management system for further details and to start the permitting process. Any questions should be emailed to events@britishtriathlon.org or call 01509 226162.

British Triathlon Federation (BTF) operates the Event Permitting Process on behalf of Triathlon England and Welsh Triathlon. Organisers of events in Scotland should contact triathlonscotland directly. Prospective competitors of triathlon’s, duathlons or aquathlons can find out if the event they are thinking of entering is permitted by visiting the events section of http://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/index.php and using the event search function. 

 The International Triathlon Union (ITU) today unveiled the dates and host cities for the 2012 ITU Triathlon World Championship Series. Wrapped around the London 2012 Olympic Games, the world's top triathletes will battle for the ITU World Championship titles in an 8-city global series staged on four continents, including a stop in triathlon's birthplace - San Diego, California, USA.
 
2012 ITU World Championship Series:
- April 14-15: Sydney, Australia
- May 12-13: San Diego, USA
- May 26-27: Madrid, Spain (final event in Olympic qualifying)
- June 23-24: Kitzbühel, Austria
- July 21-22: Hamburg, Germany
- August 25-26: Lausanne, Switzerland (includes ITU Team Triathlon World Championships)
- September (exact weekend TBC): Yokohama, Japan
- Grand Final - October 20-22: Auckland, New Zealand
 
All elite women's and men's races will be broadcast live to an international audience and streamed online live.  In 2011, the series was broadcast in more than 160 countries.
 
"The ITU World Championship Series is the pinnacle of triathlon, which will be exemplified with the 2012 instalment of the series and a line-up of eight world class cities," said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. "The sport and this series continues to grow every year and we expect 2012 to be the most spectacular triathlon season ever."
 
The first series event of 2012 takes place in Sydney for the third straight year amidst the backdrop of legendary Sydney Opera house, where the triathlon was held in its Olympic Games debut in 2000.
 
Next up will be a historic event in San Diego, California, the city where triathlon was first invented back in 1974.  San Diego becomes the second U.S. city to host a round of the series after Washington, D.C. in 2009.
 
Then the series shifts to Europe for four rounds, starting with Madrid, candidate city for the 2020 Olympic Games.  Long been a favourite for many ITU stars, Madrid has hosted World Championship Series events and World Cups since 2003.  Raising the stakes in Madrid is that it will be the final opportunity for athletes to collect Olympic qualifying points.  Qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games will come full circle as it began in Madrid in June 2010.
 
Kitzbühel, Austria will host a round of the series for the fourth straight year. The 2012 edition will feature a redesigned course with a more demanding and challenging bike course.
 
Hamburg will stage the final round before the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Athletes will be able to fine tune their racing edge in a sprint event before the Olympics.  Next season will be the first time that two sprint races (half the standard distance) are featured in the World Championship Series.
 
For the second straight year, the Olympic capital of Lausanne, Switzerland will host the Sprint and Team Triathlon World Championships on the last weekend of August.
 
In September the series travels to Yokohama, Japan for its only Asian stop for the penultimate round.
 
The ITU World Champions will then be decided in Auckland, New Zealand at the 2012 Grand Final.  It marks the third time New Zealand will host the crown jewel on the ITU calendar.  Previously the Triathlon World Championships were in Queenstown in 2003 and Wellington in 1994.
 
Currently British athletes, Alistair Brownlee and Helen Jenkins are leading the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series rankings and could be crowned world champions in Beijing this weekend.
 

Triathlon’s ITU World Championship Grand Final will be held in Britain in 2013. The world’s best triathletes will return to the London 2012 Olympic Games venue as Hyde Park hosts the International Triathlon Union’s (ITU) most prestigious event.

British Triathlon alongside Upsolut Sport UK, the events joint organising company, is delighted that its bid has been successful, providing a huge boost to British elite and amateur athletes who will have the competitive advantage of racing at home in a world championship event.

The bid was supported by UK Sport and the Mayor of London through London & Partners, his official promotional agency for the city, as well as the Royal Parks and DCMS.

The announcement was made today (Thursday 8 September) by the ITU at its Congress in Beijing, which coincides with this year's Grand Final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic triathlon venue and course.

“It’s always very special to come back to an Olympic Games venue so we are thrilled to return to London for the ITU World Championship Grand Final in 2013,” said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. “We are confident London will set a new standard for ITU’s premier event.”

Hyde Park will host the triathlon competitions at the London 2012 Olympic Games with the bid to host the 2013 Grand Final seen as an important part of the triathlon legacy of the Games.

On hearing the news in Beijing, where he is preparing to race this weekend, with the prospect of becoming World Champion, Alistair Brownlee said: "It is a big boost to British athletes to know that we will be heading back to Hyde Park in 2013.

“We had fantastic support this year, more than we could have expected, and next year is going to be so much bigger. To know that we have that to look forward to again the year after the Olympics is fantastic.”

Sarah Springman, President of British Triathlon was equally pleased:  “Triathlon is an Olympic sport at which Britain is very successful.   For the last three years, along with our partners we have delivered amazing events in London and I’m sure the Olympic Triathlon will be one of the most memorable events of the London 2012 Olympic Games. 

“Hosting the Grand Final is the perfect legacy for the sport, not only for our world class team of athletes, paratriathletes and support staff, but also for thousands of amateur athletes who will come to London having qualified to represent their countries. This is a fantastic opportunity to show Britain at its best and to share our Olympic heritage with the rest of the triathlon family, worldwide.”

Adding his support, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "This is yet another vote of confidence in London as a world class venue for staging major international sporting events, Hyde Park, a truly magnificent setting, is already set to host the London 2012 Triathlon competition and together these thrilling events happening two years running are valuable opportunities to proudly showcase our great city to millions around the world."

To help enable the success of the event, the event will receive National Lottery funding through UK Sport and Simon Morton, Director of Major Events and International Relations at UK Sport, said: “The 2013 Triathlon World Championships Grand Final will be an excellent addition to the programme of events the UK is set to host beyond 2012. In securing this event, in addition to future World Championships in Gymnastics and Canoe Slalom, we are successfully using the catalyst of both the London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 Games to establish the UK as a world-leading host nation.

“Hosting the world's most prestigious Triathlon event in the spectacular Hyde Park setting in 2013 will be a fantastic way to maintain the momentum of enthusiasm generated around the sport in the build up to, and no doubt during, the London 2012 Games.”

Iain Edmondson, Head of Major Events at London and Partners said: “This fantastic news is testament to London’s status as a leading global sports city and the support the city has provided to the sport over the last three years. Securing the ITU Triathlon World Championships Grand Final for 2013 is an example of how London is ensuring that the Olympic legacy for major events is fulfilled. As the official promotional agency for the city, London & Partners will be making the most of this legacy as we develop and bid for more major events, both sporting and cultural, from 2012 and beyond.”

Robert Puestow of Upsolut Sports UK said:   “Since 2009 when we first hosted an ITU World Championship Series race, the event has grown in stature as is now classed as one of the best in the world.  We can´t wait to come back to Hyde Park and will start working on 2013 immediately. We look forward to festival of triathlon in 2013 and providing a great experience for everybody.”

The 2011 ITU World Champions will be crowned this weekend at the Grand Final in Beijing, the same course as the 2008 Olympic Games. The elite men will race on Saturday while the elite women will start on Sunday.  For a preview of the GE Great Britain Triathlon Team and its chance to win ‘double gold’ visit www.britishtriathlon.org

• Men’s race: Live coverage on the BBC red Button and BBC sport website from 05:30am until 07:50am on Saturday 10 September.
• Women’s race: Live coverage on the BBC red Button and BBC sport website from 06:30am until 08:50am on Sunday 11 September.

A team of 270 GE Great Britain Age Group Team triathletes are set to compete in the 2011 Beijing ITU Triathlon Age Group World Championships across sprint and standard distance events on 10 and 11 September 2011.

The qualification process for both sprint and standard distance GE Great Britain Age Group Teams took place in 2011, with the Eton Half Distance, Speedy Beaver Triathlon and the QE2 Sprint Triathlon all providing tough tests for the sprint distance qualifying athletes.

In the standard distance event, it was the Bridge Triathlon, Shropshire Triathlon and Dambuster Triathlon that provided the qualification hurdle for triathletes who had registered their intent to qualify.

In the sprint event, there are 160 triathletes all aspiring to bring home gold from Beijing. There are many new faces in the GE Great Britain Age Group Team, but there will also be some experienced triathletes who can ensure they have their best chance of success. There will be four returning world champions from Budapest in 2010 including Elizabeth Bullivant (30-34), Gaelle Lebray (35-39) and Georgina Jennings (65-69) in the female event and Michael Dunne (60-64) in the male event.

In the standard distance race there are 110 triathletes racing with two returning medallists including 2010 British Triathlon Male Age Group Athlete of the Year, Colin Dixon (40-44) and Grahame Leitch (25-29).

Colin Dixon who talked to British Triathlon earlier this year is looking forward to the challenge of Beijing commenting: “I am delighted that I will be joining the GE Great Britain Age Group Team in China. The best part of being part of the team is just wearing your GB strip and knowing you’re representing your country. You’ve done all the hard work and the reward is flying the flag. Winning a medal is icing on cake!”

Malcolm Westwood, British Triathlon Director for Age Group is excited about the upcoming races commenting: “The 2011 Beijing ITU Triathlon Age Group World Championships will provide the perfect platform for our GE Great Britain Age Group triathletes to achieve their personal triathlon challenges. The qualification events have shown that a high calibre GE Great Britain Age Group Team will be racing in Beijing.

“Last year in Budapest the GE Great Britain Age Group Team delivered 16 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals across both championships. With the ITU Aquathlon Age Group World Championships already delivering eleven medals in Beijing, I hope they will have inspired our triathletes to deliver even more medal-winning performances to celebrate.”

David Bellingham, Team Manager for the Sprint Distance GE Great Britain Age Group Team added: “Overall we have had a great start to the weekend of age group and elite racing. The conditions and course will be testing but hopefully the GE Great Britain triathletes will deliver the usual haul of medals. Everyone is focused and ready to go."

Follow all the action on www.triathlon.org
 

Yorkshire and Humberside are silver medallists at British Triathlon Inter Regional Championships and just 1 point from retaining their crown but were very happy to come away with Silver on the 4th Sept 2011. 

Congratulations to the team, team manager Stuart Jeffries and Coach Louise Hanley. 

The Silver medallists were Tri Star 2: Erica Byram, Lucy Byram, Tyler Hutchinson, Toby Kitching, 

Tri Star 3: Lucy Farquhar, Mia Moore, Lewis Byram, Joshua Schofield.  

Youths: Jade Hutchinson, Ellen McArthur, Lauren York, Jonny Dudley, Euan Hockey and Max Robson.  

There were superb results overall including individual bronze to Ellen McArthur.  Well Done all! 

The North West Series and Club League were rounded off at Helvellyn on Sunday 4th September.

North West Championships Results

Despite the series having both been wrapped up, after the previous round there was still plenty to play for.

Martin Cain won the men’s race, beating the course record previously held by a certain A. Brownlee.  It was Martin’s second win in the series, but being a race short meant he didn’t impact the podium spots.  Chris Joyce (Red Venom) did however do enough to move into second spot overall.  Beau Smith (COLT) retained the overall win, with Jonathon Metcalfe third.

Sarah May (Calderdale Tri) won the women’s race.   There were no changes at the top of the Women’s Series, with Rebecca Heath (MTC) winning, ahead of Dee McCarthy (MTC) with Ella Carter (Bolton) in third.

In the men’s club league COLT did enough to hold off MTC, following what has been a nip and tuck battle all year. In the women’s club league Chester also held off MTC to defend their trophy.  2011 is the first year MTC have not won at least one of the club trophies.

Could previous Shield winners arrange for their return to either Tony Jolly or Rob Bishop.

Any queries please contact Tony Jolly at NorthWestseries@gmail.com

Correction.  Please not that a correction to previously published results where Mark Livingstone is the actual winner of the Men’s Vet Sprint Championship Trophy.

Awards will be presented at the Tri England North West Annual Awards Evening on 26th November at Lancashire Manor Hotel, Pimbo.  Details to be released soon.
 

Triathlon England would like to invite you to two important events in the London region youth set up. Both of these events will be held at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Saturday 17th September 2011.

The London Region Academy Selection day (Saturday morning - 9am - 12pm)
This will be led by London academy coach James Beckinsale and is very much performance orientated. If you are a talented young athlete, a parent or a coach of a talented young athlete aged 14 to 18 years old, and you think the athlete could benefit from a winter of working with the academy and other academy athletes, please can you contact James Beckinsale for an application form and more information. For guidelines on target times for Academy qualification please got to www.triathlonlondon.org.uk and click Academy.

16-19 TriStep Development Group Launch (Saturday afternoon - 1pm - 4.30pm)
Triathlon England in partnership with the London regional committee has been working to develop triathlon provision for all 16-19 club triathletes in the region. (Age is taken as on the 31st December 2011.) The TriStep programme is not performance orientated and is aimed at:
•     Providing quality monthly Sunday morning coaching sessions for 16-19 triathletes in London.
•     Providing the opportunity for these Triathletes to compete in two quality events against their 16-19 peers.
•    Providing these athletes with the opportunity to complete level 1 coaching qualifications, level 1 official's qualifications, a Sports Science workshop and a first aid course.

This exciting new opportunity will be launched with a free Triathlon coaching session on Saturday 17th September. Please see the attached TriStep launch poster and email jennyvincent@triathlonengland.org for further information.

 

Ever fancied a go at one of the toughest physical challenges around but felt a bit…well, let’s be honest…scared? Triathlons of any distance are a daunting prospect for most, and seen by many as the ultimate all round fitness challenge. Rather than throwing you in at the deep end, Everyone Active is running an indoor Triathlon Challenge, supported by Triathlon England, at 25 leisure centres across the Southeast on 8th September.

Anyone can head down to a participating Everyone Active Leisure Centre to try the 1 mile run, 5km bike ride on indoor Keiser bikes and 200m swim so unlike a standard triathlon, you won’t need loads of specialist kit. However, you will be entered into a prize draw to win a Sigma Sports Beginners Tri pack consisting of bike, helmet, bike shoes, Tri Suit, Wetsuit, goggles, Tri Bars, race belt and a Your First Triathlon handbook. Plus Everyone Active is offering a free one year membership so you could have everything you need to continue your triathlon training.

All you need to do to get involved is contact your nearest participating Everyone Active Leisure Centre and donate a minimum of £1 to the Everyone Active Triathlon Challenge charity fund on the day. There will also be a team of 100 Everyone Active staff travelling to eight centres across the country to complete the mini triathlons eight times in one day, with all money raised going to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore.

An Everyone Active membership card (you can register for a free card that gives you access to pay and play activities) gives you 20% off Triathlon England membership, entitling you to free race entries at triathlon events and other great Tri related stuff. If you are a Triathlon England member you are also eligible for 20% off a full Everyone Active membership.

Triathlon is a fast growing sport in the UK with opportunities to train and progress with Triathlon England, what better time to take up a new challenge and try a Tri!

Visit www.everyoneactive.com to find your nearest participating centre and get involved – best of all it’s for a good cause.

If you would like to donate to the charity fund visit www.justgiving.com/teams/everyoneactive
 

Richard Stannard stormed to his third ITU Aquathlon World Championship with a convincing victory by 21 seconds over silver medallist Ran Alterman of Israel.  Brazil’s Leandro Barbosa took the bronze.

The aquathlon event kicked off the action from the ITU World Championships in Beijing and saw competitors complete a 2.5km run, 1km swim and 2.5km run.

Stannard and Alterman both went out with almost identical times in the first 2.5km run.  It was in the 1km swim in the Shisanling reservoir where Stannard made his move.  He exited the water first as the only man to complete the swim in less than 13 minutes.  With a comfortable lead in hand, Stannard closed out his third Aquathlon world title. He previously posted wins in Lausanne in 2006 and Queenstown in 2003.

Commenting after his race, Richard said:  “I have a tactic that I use, it’s not about that first run, you hold back on that first run, and try to work on the swim. Everyone who races it [aquathlon world championships] has rarely swam after they have run, and especially that hard, unless they have raced an aquathlon at this level before. I entered the water in second and then quite quickly put my foot down and just really went.”

He continued: “Once you get a lead out the water it’s really hard to get caught, so to close down anything substantial is really difficult.  I had control and was able to pick up into the finish and enjoy it – it was great.”

Richard’s performance was testament to the hard work he has put in over the last two years following a car crash, which saw him break both pelvis and hand. Richard added:  “I have struggled with injuries for so long, for about 18 months, every time I tried to get fit I got another problem. Finally, since May this year, I have had a clean bill of health and just been building to this, and I have done it, I have done what I set out to do.”

It wasn’t only the elites who were racing, with the GE Great Britain Age Group Team in action. A team of 39 aquathletes raced delivering eleven medals including four gold, five silver and a bronze.

Gold medallists
Christine Lutsch  (30-34 Female)
Jane Leslie (60-64 Female)
George Vargha (65-69 Male)
Mary Hardwick (50-54 Female)

Silver medallists
Gareth Daniel (16-19 Male)
Shona Girdwood (40-44 Female)
Sharon Hill (45-49 Female)
Joanna Lewis (55-59 Female)
Ted Hamilton (60-64 Male)
Colin Dixon (40-44 Male)

Bronze medallist
Anna Anderson (20-24 Female)

 

Tickets are now on sale for the 2011 British Triathlon Annual Awards Dinner, set to take place on Saturday 12 November at the 4* Barceló Hinckley Island Hotel.

The flagship event celebrates the achievements of our world class elite and age group triathletes, and recognise the outstanding contribution made by officials, volunteers, coaches, clubs and event organisers to our fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic sport. 

The Awards Dinner will welcome our outstanding elite, age group and paratriathletes – many of whom are World and European Champions.   In their company, you can enjoy an evening celebrating the most memorable moments of 2011 with over 300 guests.

Last years, British Triathlon Male Junior Triathlete of the Year, Tom Bishop was impressed by the event commenting: “This is the first awards I have been to and it’s really impressive the amount of people to cheer you on, and it’s great the way British Triathlon back you.”

•    Book your place at www.britishtriathlon.org/shop
•    Tickets cost £40 including drinks reception and a three course meal with wine

Discounted accommodation at the 4* Barceló Hinckley Island Hotel including buffet breakfast and use of the hotel’s health and leisure clubs can be booked via Danielle Taylor on 0121 779 0944 or by email Danielle@corporate-sporting.com 
 

The sport of paratriathlon has recently been introduced to the Paralympics GB Talent Transition Programme with two budding paratriathletes, Ross Austin and Joe Townsend being welcomed into the sport by Paratriathlon Programme Manager, Jonathon Riall as part of a four-day Talent Transition camp at Bath University.

Since paratriathlon became accepted into the Paralympic programme for 2016, British has been fully included in all activities run by Paralympics GB, including their Talent Identification Programme and Talent Transition camps.

The aim of the camp delivered by Paralympics GB was to educate talented disabled athletes in the world of elite sport. Ross and Joe were injured serving their country in Afghanistan and have spent the last three years in and out of Headley Court receiving intense rehabilitation. Both athletes are part of the Battle Back Sports Programme, which specialises in using sport as part of the rehabilitation process.

Through this programme they have been identified as talented athletes in a number of sports including wheelchair basketball, athletics and swimming. However, the announcement by the programme to enter a team into the 2011 UK Ironman was enough to ensure both men chose to specialise in triathlon.

Jonathon Riall, who gave the athletes coaching across all three disciplines, found the camp hugely beneficial commenting: “It was an honour to be invited to this camp, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and developing two very talented new athletes. Paralympics GB made everybody feel very much part of the wider team, and the attention to detail and expertise available at this camp was as good as I have ever seen it. I have learned a lot from being involved and I aim to integrate ideas I have learnt here with the British Paratriathlon Squads when we’re back home.”

The inclusion within programmes are the beginning of the sports journey towards Rio 2016, and highlights the impressive growth and development of paratriathlon.

British Triathlon President and ITU Vice-President Sarah Springman recently presented at the VISTA Conference in Bonn highlighting the progress the sport has made in just a short time period.  

Sarah illustrated the sports continued development in both classification systems and the creation of a sporting infrastructure that ensures paratriathletes have the opportunity to compete in a world class environment.

Her presentation coincided with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granting provisional IPC membership to the International Triathlon Union, subject to the approval of the General Assembly in December at the 59th meeting of the Committees Governing Board in Budapest last weekend.

This is a landmark moment for the sport and very much like the inclusion within Paralympics GB on a domestic level, this will ensure the sport continues to progress on an international level and be ready for Rio in 2016.

Rio 2016 isn’t the only area of excitement within paratriathlon as this weekend will see the GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team compete at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Beijing. With four reigning world champions  including Faye McClelland, Charlotte Ellis, Iain Dawson and Jane Egan,  Great Britain is one of the top paratriathlon nations and will be aiming to highlight their desire to be  in the medals in five years time in the 2008 Olympic city.

Sarah Springman, British Triathlon President was delighted to be invited to the IPC meeting commenting: “The profile and awareness of paratriathlon has continued to grow since the successful bid for inclusion in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and being able to present the story of paratriathlon’s development to the International Paralympic Committee was a unique opportunity to celebrate the sport's success.

“Beijing is the first ITU Paratriathlon World Championships since the IPC’s decision, and with another strong GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team, we can expect a world class event with medal winning performances from our British paratriathletes.”

Follow how our British paratriathletes perform in Beijing on twitter @BritTri
 

Britain's Helen Jenkins and Alistair Brownlee go to Beijing this weekend ranked number one in the world ahead of Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Grand Final.

The GE Great Britain Triathlon Team has strength and depth, with a total of six senior athletes ranked in the world's top twenty, including Jonathan Brownlee in second place. A small team has been preparing in Jeju, South Korea, and the full team will meet up in Beijing, team lists and racing schedules are below.

Speaking at a GE Great Britain team press conference from Jeju via a teleconference, hosted at the GE offices in Berkeley Square, London, yesterday, Alistair said: "It's a really important race for me and I'll go out and do the best I can."

With Jonathan ranked number two in the world, Alistair added: "If you look purely at the world rankings then Jonny's got the second best chance of winning the title, but he's one of about five athletes who could win."

Alistair has a 120 point advantage over his younger sibling. However, the Grand Final offers fifty percent more points than the previous rounds of the Series, meaning there are 1200 points available to the winner, 1110 for second and 1027 for third. Reigning world champion, Javier Gomez is currently in third place, 227 behind Alistair in the rankings.

Jonathan commented: "I'm not going to think about points and a half. I'm going to turn up and race as well as I can."

With a chance to claim the world title in his first senior season, Jonathan added: "It's been a shock of a year, it's gone really well. To get a podium in every World Championship Series race that I've done this year has been great.

"I want to beat Alistair of course, but I'm not really thinking about Gomez, there are so many great athletes out there."

Will Clarke goes to the Grand Final ranked eighth. Having already achieved a podium finish in Hamburg, another one in Beijing would see him achieve the British Triathlon Olympic selection criteria, although places will not be confirmed until next summer.

He said: "I'm ranked eighth in the world at the moment. I'm within a shout of the top five, or to at least hold my position, that would be a big step forward for me this year."

Helen Jenkins, who has completed her final preparations from home in South Wales, knows that a podium finish will secure the 2011 world title. This is an aim she had not targeted this year, with meeting British Triathlon's Olympic selection criteria being her priority. She last won the title in 2008 in Vancouver when the world champion was decided by a single race.

Jenkins has shown remarkable consistency to have achieved a win, two second places and a fourth in the Series this year. However, there are less than 300 points separating the first four women (Barbara Riveros Diaz, Paula Findlay and Andrea Hewitt).

She said: "Finishing on the podium will be a bonus that was not actually an aim at the start of the year."

Britain's elite junior, U23 athletes and paratriathletes have the opportunity to boost the potential medal haul in Beijing and experience racing on the 2008 Olympic course. In addition, 270 amateur athletes have qualified to represent Great Britain and will compete for world titles in their age categories.

The senior events will be live on the BBC Red Button and will be shown online via triathlonlive.tv. There will also be a highlights package shown on 17 September at 3pm on BBC1.

We will be reporting on all the action in the junior, U23, patatriathlon and age group races via Twitter (@brittri), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BritishTriathlon) and britishtriathlon.org.

Schedule (Beijing is seven hours ahead of London, UK start times shown in brackets):

Friday 9 Sept:
12:30 (5:30am)     U23 Men
15:45 (8.45am)     Paratriathlon

Saturday 10 Sept
10:45 (3:45am)     Junior Women
12:30 (5:30am)     Elite Men
15:15 (8:15am)     U23 Women

 Sunday 11 Sept
13:30 (6:30am)     Elite Women
16:15 (9:15am)     Junior Men

GE Great Britain Triathlon Team

Senior Men: Adam Bowden, Alistair Brownlee, Jonathan Brownlee, Will Clarke, Tim Don, Todd Leckie 
Senior Women: Liz Blatchford, Vicky Holland, Helen Jenkins, Kerry Lang, Jodie Stimpson
U23 Men: Tom Bishop, Aaron Harris, David McNamee, Matt Sharp 
U23 Women: Non Stanford, Lois Rosindale 
Junior Men: Marc Austin, Gordon Benson 
Junior Women: Lucy Hall

GE Great Britain Paratriathlon Team

Tri 1: Jane Egan, Liz McTernan, Jimmy Goddard
Tri 3: Steve Judge, James Smith 
Tri 4: Faye McClelland, Clare Cunningham, Tom Perkins
Tri 6: Charlotte Ellis, Sara Butler, Haseeb Ahmad, Iain Dawson

The North East region has won the 2011 British Triathlon Inter Regional Championships, which took place on Sunday 4 September at Hetton Lyons Country Park in Tyne and Wear.

The joint hosts leading athlete was Kate Waugh who claimed maximum points winning the Tri Star 2 category. In the Tri Star 3 category, Bronwen Owen in the girls race and Jack Willis in the boys claimed a silver medal each, with Jordon Hull adding bronze in the boys event.

The individual performances ensured a dramatic team victory, recording a winning score of 942 points, just one point ahead of last year’s champions Yorkshire and Humberside who finished with 941 points.

For Yorkshire and Humberside, it was Ellen McArthur who delivered the best individual performance finishing third in the youth race behind Sophie Coldwell (second) and Sky Draper (first). The team’s success relied upon having five athletes including Ellen in the top ten positions across the age categories.

That strength in depth ensured they finished ahead of East Midlands who, despite having three podium athletes, finished ten points behind with 931. Their medallists included Caitlin Roper winning bronze and James Bell silver in the Tri Star 2 category. The aforementioned Sophie Coldwell was the third member of the team on the podium.

Full results can be found on the British Triathlon Super Series website
http://www.britishtriathlonsuperseries.com/default.aspx?id=710

The event also doubled as the Grand Final of the 2011 British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series.

In the youth female event, Sophie Coldwell won gold, with Ellen McArthur in second and Ellie Walton in third place. Sophie was delighted commenting:

“It means a lot to take the title, I competed last year and finished fourth so it’s great to finish at the top before moving up to the juniors next year.

“The IRC’s are a great team event, and this year was the sixth time in which I have competed. To finish third [East Midlands] was a great boost and competing as a team was really motivating and helped me perform overall for the Series.”

In the youth male event, Miles Burton won gold despite not finishing first in the youth race for the first time this season. Finlay Rae was second and Luke Penny claimed the final podium position.

Despite not racing, Lucy Hall remained at the top of the Junior Super Series leaderboard. Victoria Johnson who finished second in the elite junior event at the weekend was just 19 points behind her climbing into second place overall. In third was Sophia Saller who won the junior event propelling her up the standings.

Gordon Benson was not so lucky with his fellow competitors taking advantage of his absence in the junior elite event to overtake him in the overall Junior Super Series standings. Grant Sheldon crossed the line first and received maximum points taking him ahead of Gordon, who has won four of the five events in which he competed. Andrew Christy finished in third place overall after a second place finish in the North East.

To find out more about the British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series visit: www.britishtriathlonsuperseries.com