TRIATHLON - Triathletes line up for shot at world champs

WHANGAREI lawyer Katherine Anton will spearhead a strong clique of Northland triathletes with plans of national domination of the age-group titles on offer at the Triathlon New Zealand Championships.
With Sam Warriner and Nicki Samuels the torch bearers in the elite grade, Anton, Lee Greer, Nicola Gray, Mike Gowing and Don Weston are all candidates to win world championship entry in various age-group categories in Wellington on Sunday.
Anton will line up in the elite race, alongside Warriner and Samuels, and will almost be assured a slot at the world championships to be staged in Vancouver, Canada if she performs.
Greer is in the hunt for the title in the under-23 race and is also a sure-thing prospect for a starting slot at Vancouver next year.
His performances at the last two world championships have already highlighted his potential.
Gray arrives in Wellington as the national short course title holder and will start as one of the favourites in her 20-25 years age grade.
Veterans Mike Gowing and Don Weston have both raced at world championship events before and are shooting to qualify again.
The championships, which double as the seventh and final round of the New Zealand national series and the Oceania title race, have drawn a very strong elite field with athletes chasing world ranking points.
Leading the way in the men's elite race are the best of the New Zealanders, including Bevan Docherty (ranked fourth in the world) and Kris Gemmell (fifth), who have both already qualified for Beijing, and Games contenders Shane Reed (25th), Terenzo Bozzone (27th), Clark Ellice (95th) and James Elvery (105th).
Australia are led by Beijing hopeful and three-times world champion Peter Robertson, and former World Cup winner Craig Walton.
Beijing-bound Sam Warriner (third) and Debbie Tanner (fifth) lead the way with Olympic hopefuls Andrea Hewitt (15th), Nicky Samuels (30th) and Evelyn Williamson all suiting up for the biggest race of the year so far.
Australians Annabel Luxford (eighth) and Emma Moffat will lead a large Australian contingent while German Anja Dittmer (11th) is fresh off her win at the New Zealand sprint distance national championships at Kinloch in February.