Focused Samuels ready for big race

This weekend's International Triathlon Union World Cup race in Auckland is all about blowing out the cobwebs for professional triathlete Nicky Samuels.

Samuels, 29, grew up in Northland before moving south to study and she is now based in Wanaka.

But for the past two weeks has been in Whangarei training and visiting her family, who still live in Northland.

Tomorrow's race is essentially the first of a new season, one where she has her eyes firmly focused on peaking in Sydney in April and booking a spot at the London Olympic Games in July.

Samuels has had a tumultuous year, starting off strongly winning ITU's World Cup race in Mooloolaba during March along with the ITU Oceania Sprint Champs at Taupo, while she placed tenth at the World Championship Series in Kitzbuhel during April.

In July, only two weeks before the Olympic qualifying World Championship race in London, Samuels underwent heart surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.

She also had a bad bout of flu.

After a disappointing result in the World Championship Series race in September at Yokahama, Japan, Samuels returned to New Zealand for a well-needed break and took the opportunity to recuperate properly.

"Most athletes decided to take their breaks after the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland World Cup race but I knew I needed mine as I was struggling to hold on to my fitness through the second half of the season, well, ever since I got the flu prior to the London World Series race I have been struggling really," she said.

Fast forward to November, and Samuels has returned to training.. She has competed in several local events as part of her training schedule - she won the Contact Tri Series race at Rotorua last month, and last weekend, she took out the women's division in the Fred Ogle Memorial ride, in Northland.

"I used that as a long hard training ride, which tied in nicely as I was staying up home in Whangarei," she said.

The triathlete will line up against a world-class field in the elite women's race tomorrow , with competitors battling it out for vital points which could earn their country extra places at next year's Olympics.

Andrea Hewitt is the only Kiwi woman to qualify for the Olympics so far, Samuels is determined to be alongside her.

"This race is the start of a long build up to the Sydney world cup race, which is the final qualifying race," she said.

"I'm not as fit as I should be due to the timing of the race and I think it will be a hard day for me ... but it will an awesome race for spectators ... I think the course will be challenging, the bike up Queen Street is technical and hilly, which can tire out your legs for the run."

The elite women's race starts at 12pm from Queens Wharf, while the elite men's race starts at 2.45pm, with age group sprint and long distance races as well as the para-triathlon getting the day underway.