Corus British Triathlon Team announced for World Championships

The Corus British Triathlon Team, which will compete at the 2007 BG Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg, Germany from 31st August to 2nd September, was announced today. Great Britain will have at least 16 representatives racing at the event across a range of levels including Senior, U23 and Junior.

Tim Don will start as one of the favourites in Hamburg as he looks to defend his World title from Lausanne. Having suffered a foot injury at the start of the year, Don is returning to form with a fourth place finish at the Salford World Cup and wins at the Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon and Corus Elite Series race in Hyde Park. Also in the men’s race, Will Clarke steps up to his first senior championship competition having convincingly won both the European and World Under 23 titles in 2006.

The senior women’s race will see an exciting head to head between reigning champion, Emma Snowsill from Australia, and Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandes. Britain’s Michelle Dillon and Andrea Whitcombe are both medal prospects.

Dillon has stepped onto the ITU World Cup podium twice this year as well as winning the Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon; whilst Whitcombe, who was sixth at the World Championships last year, finished second at the National Championships and fourth at the Salford World Cup.

Alistair Brownlee is a strong favourite in the Junior men’s race, looking to defend his 2006 World Championship win. He is one of four Under 23 and Junior athletes who won European gold medals earlier in the season. The quartet of Brownlee, Hollie Avil, Ritchie Nicholls and Rosie Clarke will be aiming to continue their impressive form and step onto the podium.

British Triathlon Performance Director, Heather Williams, commented:

“I believe these are strong teams, indicative of the position of the Corus British Triathlon Team just a year out from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. We have medal chances in all of the six races and, as at the European Championships, will be looking to convert as many of those as possible. The athletes understand that and will be working closely together with each other and with their coaches to maximise their overall performance”.

Reigning Under 23 Champion, Will Clarke, said:

“I’m really looking forward to testing myself against the seniors this year. This is part of my progression towards the Beijing and London Olympic Games and will put me in good stead for future championships. Tim’s win last year was a fantastic achievement and my aim is to ensure that I’m right up at the front in Hamburg with him; then who knows what might happen”.

2006 World Championship medallists:                               

2007 European Championship medallists:

2007 World Championship Corus British Triathlon Team:

Team Director:                          Heather Williams           
Head Men’s Coach:              Dan Salcedo             Head Women’s Coach:              Chris Jones Head Development Coach: Ben Bright               
Team Sport Scientist: Mark Pearce
Team Cycle Coach: Mark McKay              
Team Mechanic:  Glenn Coltman
Team Doctor: Roslyn Carbon             
Team Physiotherapist: John Dennis

Performance Programme Director. Heather Williams, will be available for media interviews and to talk through the Corus British Triathlon team on Tuesday 21st August from 10am – 12pm.

Please call 01509 226161 during this period.

For further information on British Triathlon, please see www.britishtriathlon.org or call:

British Triathlon Media Officer, Peter Holmes
Tel: +44 (0)1509 226188 / +44 (0)7795 415 452
peterholmes@britishtriathlon.org
Present in Hamburg from 30th August until 3rd September

Pitch PR, Jo Taylor
Tel: +44 (0)207 4941616 / +44 (0)7824 814 324
jo@pitchpr.co.uk

Present in Hamburg from 30th August until 3rd September

NOTES TO EDITORS

About British Triathlon

British Triathlon is the National Governing Body for triathlon, the UK’s fastest growing sport.  At international level Great Britain boasts a strong squad of world ranked elite triathletes who regularly achieve international success and has some outstanding young talent emerging from its youth programmes. Since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, British Triathlon has seen annual increases in membership numbers of 10%. There are over 500 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year including the London Triathlon, arguably the largest triathlon event in the World and the ITU World Cup race in Salford, one of the world’s leading international races.

About Corus
Corus is Europe's second largest steel producer with revenues of £9.7 billion and crude steel production of 18.3 million tonnes in 2006, primarily in the UK and the Netherlands. Combining international expertise with local customer service, the Corus brand represents quality and strength, providing innovative solutions to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world's sixth largest and second most global steel producer.  With a combined presence in nearly 50 countries, Tata Steel including Corus has 84,000 employees across five continents and a pro forma crude steel production of 27 million tonnes in 2007.
www.corusgroup.com