TRIATHLON - Warriner set for massive final effort

As the new Northland sportsperson of the year, and after becoming one of the first athletes in the country to be confirmed as a starter for the Beijing Olympics next year, Sam Warriner would be keen to rest up, you might think.
Instead the 34-year-old triathlete is in Eilat, Israel trying to boost her world ranking to No.2 by racing in the last world cup event of the season there on Sunday morning.
Warriner is currently ranked No.3, and is now focused on getting the No.2 spot as a way of rounding off an incredibly successful season on the world cup circuit.
Then, she says with some relief, she will be able to pause just long enough to catch her breath and prepare for the next big mission in her career: A hunt for an Olympic medal.
"I am just so close. I won't be happy until I know I have tried everything to get that second spot on the rankings," Warriner said.
"I know my body knows the season is coming to an end and needs a rest but I am trying to convince it to keep going for one more race."
That has not been easy though - a fact she admitted before she left for Israel last week. After having the Olympic selection as a major focus helped define her training motivation for most of the season. Maintaining the tempo since has been difficult.
But with a much-needed break in sight, Warriner hopes to bank enough ranking points on Sunday to jump from third to second. She only needs five more points to achieve that. The world No.1 spot is out of reach.
The event will be one of the most diverse of the year with 36 different countries represented in the elite men's and women's fields. Athletes will not only battle for the final World Cup title of the year, they will also fight for the last remaining rankings points and earn a portion of the US$250,000 bonus pool.
Highlighting a huge women's field are Warriner and the 2005 World Cup series champion, Annabel Luxford of Australia.
With wins in Vancouver and Tiszaujvaros, Warriner is the only woman other than World Champion and world No.1 Vanessa Fernandes to claim multiple world cup titles this year.
At least a 15th place finish in Eilat will give Warriner enough points to overtake Australian Emma Moffatt and finish the year No.2 in the world.
Eilat, a tourist resort on the Red Sea, has hosted European Cups for the past two years.
The course begins with a 1.5-km non-wetsuit swim in open sea. Athletes will then challenge the 40km bike course that comprises seven technical laps with one 600 metre climb in each lap before taking on the flat 10km run.