Triathlon: Docherty heads NZ contingent in Oceania champs

Triathlon world champion Bevan Docherty shakes off the cobwebs at the Oceania Championships in Melbourne on Sunday.

Docherty, who also won the silver medal at the Athens Olympics, will have his first start of the season on the Geelong course likely to be used for next year's Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

The Taupo triathlete is part of a nine-member New Zealand team competing in the championship.

"It's pretty much a chance to see where my training is at. I'm likely to get my butt kicked because the field will be really strong," Docherty said.

"That's basically why I am going. It's my first race of the year and it's a matter of getting back into things.

"I will be far from sharp. I usually take a couple of races to find some form."

Docherty will be joined by New Zealand sprint distance winner Shane Reed (Taranaki), Athens Olympian Sam Warriner (Northland), Shanelle Barrett (Taupo), Debbie Tanner (Auckland), Carmel Hanly (North Harbour), Martin van Barnveld (Wellington), Jon Collett (Marlborough) and Liam Scopes (Auckland) on the start line.

The race offers the chance for early season ITU points for many of the younger Kiwis, so they can push their claims for starts in the upcoming World Cup races.

They will come up against a strong contingent of Australians, including 2004 world champion Peter Robertson, Noosa Triathlon winner Craig Walton, Courtney Atkinson and Simon Thompson, who won the recent Tasmanian Triathlon.

Olympic silver medallist Loretta Harrop lines up in the women's event along with 2004 world champion Emma Snowsill and Australian Olympic representative Maxine Seear.

The race acts as an official trial for the Australians for the world championships in Japan later in the year.

Docherty said he has been relatively pleased with his training in recent weeks.

"I got back into things in the New Year. The first month went really well but then I struggled for a few weeks. Things have been going better lately and I've been managing some good 30-hour training weeks."

The world champion will have his first major hit-out in the opening round of the ITU World Cup in Honolulu on April 16 before returning for the third round in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast on May 1.

He then heads to the fourth round on May 15 before heading to Europe where he has targeted the Madrid World Cup on June 5.

The multi-lap course consists of a two-lap 1500m swim, eight-lap 40km bike and three-lap 10km run.

- NZPA