Triathlon: Round three holds promise for title contender Hewitt

Third-ranked Andrea Hewitt is aiming for a world title and Olympic qualification this year. File photo / Kenny Rodger

Andrea Hewitt continues her chase for an elusive title in the latest round of the Triathlon World Championship series at Kitzbuehel in Austria tomorrow night.

Joining her are fellow New Zealanders Debbie Tanner, Kate McIlroy, Nicky Samuels and Rebecca Spence.

Hewitt is ranked third heading to Austria after finishing third and fourth in the opening events of the season.

She is looking forward to cooler conditions after a slower-than-usual recovery from the most recent race.

"My last race in Madrid 10 days ago knocked me around a lot. It took me a week to recover, which was pretty slow, but I am confident now that I can race well this weekend."

Hewitt's goals are long-term: qualification for the London Olympics and keeping in contention for a world title at the season finale in Beijing in September.

"I'm third in the current world championship standings and another top five performance will keep me in contention for the world championship crown," Hewitt said.

"The goal is to race consistently and pick up good points to set me up for a strong finish to the season in August and September."

Meanwhile, McIlroy is looking to build on a startling career-best finish of sixth in Madrid.

"This will be my third year racing in Kitzbuehel, it's a course I love due to the testing bike and run," she said.

In contrast, Tanner is looking for improved luck from Madrid, when she was forced to withdraw early on the bike with breathing issues.

"Madrid was a huge disappointment for me, I was really looking forward to it and am itching to get some more racing in," she said.

Samuels flies in after spending two weeks training in the United States while Spence continues a low-key return after a two-year absence.

- NZPA