ITU World Cup season set to open in Mooloolaba, Australia

Mooloolaba, Australia (March 20 2012) - It's the sixth year in a row that  will open the ITU World Cup season, which makes it the second time that it's opened an Olympic year. Back in 2008, three-time ITU World Champion Emma Snowsill took out the Mooloolaba title and went on to win Gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, while two-time ITU World Champion Javier Gomez took the men's and then finished fourth in Beijing.
 

Andrea Hewitt (NZL) was unstoppable in the final few months of 2011 and will make her 2012 season debut in Mooloolaba, but with athletes like Emma Moffatt, Lisa Norden, Emma Snowsill, Nicola Spirig and Gwen Jorgensen on the start line, it's shaping as a brilliant opening women's race. In the men's, Brad Kahlefeldt will be aiming for his third consecutive win in Mooloolaba. Those trying to take it off him include Brendan Sexton, Courtney Atkinson, Laurent Vidal, David Hauss, Steffen Justus and William Clarke. Read the full preview here
 
About the race:
Mooloolaba is a small beachside community on Australia's Sunshine Coast, an hour north of Brisbane. The Olympic distance event is the centre piece of a three-day multisport festival, with 9000 competitors participating. The course starts with a swim in the Pacific Ocean, while the bike leg takes in the green hinterland, followed by a run that has ocean views the entire way.

SCHEDULE:
Elite Men - Saturday, March 24 - 3:00pm (UTC/GMT + 10)  
Elite Women - Sunday, March 25 - 12:45pm (UTC/GMT + 10)

The Women's Race - Andrea Hewitt finished 2011 as the female triathlete to beat, but just behind her were more women also scoring career bests, Melanie Annaheim (SUI) with bronze at the Beijing Grand Final, Kate McIlroy (NZL) with bronze in Yokohama, Gwen Jorgensen claimed her first series medal and World Cup win, while Lisa Norden and Emma Moffatt dusted off early season cobwebs. But what's interesting in Mooloolaba is the women who weren't nessecarily in form late last year, through injury or otherwise, like Emma Snowsill, Daniela Ryf and Nicola Spirig. It was the first time that Snowsill went through a season without a win since 2002 (she didn't compete in 2004). Both Spirig and Ryf are World Cup and WTS winners who battled injury last year. All are competing in their first race this year, and can't be written off.
 
PAST MOOLOOLABA WINNERS
              WOMEN                         ​        MEN 
2011      Nicky Samuels (NZL)                 Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS)
2010      Vendula Frintova (CZE)              Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS)
2009       Kirsten Sweetland (CAN)           Courtney Atkinson (AUS)
2008       Emma Snowsill (AUS)               Javier Gomez (ESP)
2007       Emma Snowsill (AUS)               Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS)
2006       Annabel Luxford (AUS)             Bevan Docherty (NZL)
2005       Loretta Harrop (AUS)               Simon Thompson (AUS)

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