Marisol Casado, ITU President & IOC Member:

"The triathlon and multisport family is extensive and far reaching and ITU is delighted to form a partnership with XTERRA for our 2012 Cross Triathlon World Championships. We are confident the strong race organization and dynamic course will continue to push Cross Triathlon to a new level."

Dave Nicholas, Race Director, XTERRA Southeast Championships

"TEAM unlimited is excited about bringing the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship to the USA.  By combining the XTERRA series with ITU we are reaching new heights in cooperation between directors and the federations. Oak Mountain and Shelby County are the perfect place to host this event."

The course at Oak Mountain State Park in Shelby County, located in the southernmost part of the Appalachian Chain, is praised by competitors as being one of the most fun, fast, scenic and difficult on the XTERRA schedule. Pelham will mark the second ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, following last year's successful event in Extremadura, Spain won by Canadian Melanie McQuaid and South Africa's Conrad Stoltz. Both McQuaid and Stoltz are also the defending champions in Pelham. Click here for more details

2013 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships

ITU has also awarded the 2013 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships to Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands.  The event is slated for July 13, 2013 and will offer 35,000 EUR in prize money for elite athletes and will also hold under23, junior age-group and paratriathlon categories.  In preparation for the event, the city will host the European Cross Triathlon Championships this year.  Click here for more details

ITU President and IOC member Marisol Casado, who attended the General Assembly in China with Dr. Sarah Springman, ITU Vice-President and Executive Board Representative to the ITU Paratriathlon Committee, said she was honoured to be present for what was an important moment for ITU, the sport of Paratriathlon and all paratriathletes.

"Since the announcement that Paratriathlon would be included on the programme at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, ITU has been working with the IPC to improve competition and standards for paratriathletes worldwide and staging that first Paralympic competition," she said.

(L-R): ITU Vice-President Sarah Springman,  IPC President Sir Philip Craven, ITU President & IOC Member Marisol Casado

"Now as a member of the IPC, we are honoured to officially become part of the vibrant Paralympic family and use this to drive our sport to even higher levels. Not only will those who compete in Rio achieve their dream of becoming Paralympians, but now all paratriathletes can consider themselves part of the international Paralympic family," said Casado.  "It is an honour to officially join this Paralympic family, on behalf of the ITU would like to thank IPC President Sir Phillip Craven and the IPC board."

Angstadt and Dr Springman met with IPC staff to discuss the current status and progress of Paratriathlon towards Rio 2016.

Hundreds of participants attended both the conference and general assembly, as IPC President Sir Phillip Craven opened the week's proceedings in Beijing by saying that the Paralympic Movement's best times are still to come.

"If Beijing in 2008 marked the moment the Paralympic Movement grew up and the world took notice, then I believe the coming years will see us grow in maturity and captivate billions as our athletes continue to inspire and excite the world," he said.

"We can feel rightly proud of our achievements so far, however, we should feel a greater sense of excitement about what we still have to achieve together. 

SCHEDULE:      

Elite Women - Sunday, October 9 - 8:00am (UTC/GMT -5)  Click here for time in your area

In the fast and furious 4 x mixed relay, Stimpson put Great Britain with the leaders in the first leg, before Jonathan Brownlee was part of a podium-defining bike breakaway in the second. Current world number one Helen Jenkins then put in a killer third leg to give a 10-second lead to Alistair Brownlee, the number one man in the world, in the anchor position. Brownlee then extended that further, handing Great Britain a time of 1 hour, 9 minutes and 29 seconds to win by 15 seconds from silver medallists Switzerland and bronze medallists Germany. In doing so, Great Britain became the first team to knock Switzerland off the top of the podium, as the Swiss team had won the two previous events in 2009 and 2010.

Photo: Delly Carr / ITU

Afterwards, Alistair Brownlee said he couldn't have done it without his team. "Yesterday was a struggle and today was hard, but I didn't want to let the team down, and it's great to come away with two medals, but it's thanks to the teammates," Brownlee said.

Stimpson also praised her team, "I mean, who can you get better than these guys?  They are the world's best and I got to be in a team with them so it's pretty awesome," she said.

An excellent run from Sven Riederer put Switzerland into silver, keeping the home team's record as the only country to claim a medal at each edition of the re-vamped Team Triathlon World Championships. Riederer said it was an amazing achievement for his team, including Nicola Spirig, Ruedi Wild and Melanie Annaheim. "It's unbelievable feeling to go on the podium in such a hard race with so many good athletes, it's a great success for Swiss Triathlon," he said.

While Spirig said the Lausanne crowd had helped the Swiss team bring it home. "I think it was absolutely amazing, a crowd like that, we had so much support and you just can't go slow, you have to go really really fast with that."

Germany claimed bronze in heartstopping fashion, as Steffen Justus had to serve out a 15-second penalty incurred by Maik Petzold in the second leg. Just as France's David Hauss appeared around the corner, Justus' time was up and he sprinted out of the penalty box in transition and over the finish line to claim third, denying France a spot on the podium.

Petzold said afterwards he was scared his infringement had cost Germany, the team included Anja Dittmer, Justus and Svenja Bazlen, a medal.

"I didn't know that and we were watching Svenja on the race and I saw just how I jumped on the bike and I was pretty scared and I thought, that's it," he said. "At the end it was unbelievable that feeling when I saw Steffen staying in the penalty box 15 seconds down and then he just sprinted out and came through, it was amazing."

The ITU Team Triathlon World Championships was launched in 2006 but was re-vamped to the mixed relay team triathlon format in 2009. In it, competitors race on four-person teams, with two men and two women representing each country, racing in the order of female-male-female-male.  The ITU is bidding to have Team Triathlon included into the Olympic Games. 

The distances were slightly tweaked in Lausanne this year, with the first athlete in each team swimming 500m for safety reasons, then a 5km bike leg and a finishing with a 1.5km run. The rest of the athletes completed a 265m swim, 5km bike and 1.5km run, before tagging a team member to begin the next leg.

This year a record 35 teams representing 28 countries started the ITU Team Triathlon World Championships, and it was the home team Switzerland, Germany and France who came out in front after the first leg thanks to brilliant runs from Dittmer (GER), Jessica Harrison (FRA) and Annaheim (SUI). Just behind were athletes from Great Britain, France, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the USA. But Vincent Luis (FRA) and Petzold (GER) translated a fast swim into a bike breakaway in the first major break of the day. Then in the second defining moment in the race, Switzerland's Wild attacked the steep hill on the bike leg and took Great Britain's Jonathan Brownlee with him to the leaders. From there, it became a four-team race between Germany, France, Great Britain and the defending champions Switzerland.

By the end of that second leg, Brownlee and Luis had run themselves to the front, putting Helen Jenkins and Emmie Charayron in the water at exactly the same time. But Jenkins powered away on the swim, then rode and ran solo to hand Alistair Brownlee a 10-second advantage on the rest of the field for the anchor leg. He too then rode and ran solo, and increased the time gap on the rest of the field, to seal the 2011 ITU Team Triathlon World Championship.

The battle for podium places wasn't decided until the final run leg though, as Svenja Bazlen (GER), Nicola Spirig (SUI) and Emmie Charayron (FRA) tagged Steffen Justus, Sven Riederer and David Hauss respectively at almost exactly the same time. In the final action packed run, Riederer pulled away quickly and stayed there, while Justus managed to put enough time on Hauss, even after serving a penalty, claimed bronze.

Incredibly, the second German team finished fifth, giving Germany two teams within the top five, despite also having to serve a penalty in the final run leg. However, because the competition rules state only a country's top team will be counted in the results, the USA team places fifth despite crossing the line sixth.  Corrected results are below.

The ITU is bidding to get Team Triathlon into the Olympic Games programme. The format made its major games debut at the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, and will also be part of the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.

ITU Team Triathlon World Championships - August 21, 2011 

Final Results - Elite - 265m swim, 5km bike, 1.5km run                                         

Gold - Great Britain 1 (Jodie Stimpson, Jonathan Brownlee, Helen Jenkins, Alistair Brownlee) 1:09:29 

Silver - Switzerland 1 (Melanie Annaheim, Ruedi Wild, Nicola Spirig, Sven Riederer) 1:09:44

Bronze - Germany 1 (Anja Dittmer, Maik Petzold, Svenja Bazlen, Steffen Justus) 1:09:56

4^th - France (Jessica Harrison, Vincent Luis, Emmie Charayron, David Hauss) 1:10:08

5^th - USA (Sarah Groff, Barrett Brandon, Gwen Jorgensen, Mark Fretta) 1:11:32

6^th - Australia 1 (Emma Jackson, Brad Kahlefeldt, Emma Moffatt, Brendan Sexton) 1:11:43

7^th - Netherlands (Rachel Klamer, Jan Van Berkel, Danne Boterenbrood, Youri Severin) 1:11:44

8^th - Hungary (Zsofia Kovacs, Tamas Toth, Margit Vanek, Akos Vanek) 1:12:00

9^th - New Zealand 1 (Andrea Hewitt, Clark Ellice, Nicky Samuels, Tony Dodds) 1:12:11

10th - Russia (Anastasiya Polyanskaya,  Dmitry Polyansky,  Liubov Ivanovskaya, Alexander Bryukhankov) 1:12:16

Vancouver, Canada 

The suspension begins 26 June 2011 and prohibits Wiltshire from taking part in ITU competitions or competitions sanctioned by National Federations affiliated to ITU.

Following the elite men's race at the European Championships, Wiltshire's alleged unsafe and unsportsmanlike conduct during the race was investigated. The ITU Executive Board voted to impose a six-month suspension against Wiltshire based on the evidence from the race and testimonies from the on-course technical officials. Wiltshire had already been disqualified by the Chief Swim Official based on violations to the ITU Competition Rules (2.1 a.) (i), 3.3 a.) (i), Appendix L 6, and Appendix L 7). This decision was upheld by the Referee and there was no appeal by the athlete's federation upon notification.

The ITU is strongly committed to maintaining the integrity of the sport by ensuring athletes are competing within the competition rules and with a high degree of sportsmanship.

Kahlefeldt just managed to hold off Great Britain's  William Clarke  and France's David Hauss, powering away from both in the final 50 metres in one of the most interesting series races so far this season.

Photo: Delly Carr / ITU

Without series leader Alistair Brownlee (GBR) in the field, there was plenty of cat and mouse games being played throughout the bike as several pairs tried to breakaway, but in the end a huge group of about 50 athletes hit T2 together, setting up a showdown on the 10km run. Just before halfway, a breakaway group of eight turned into six as Kahlefeldt, Clarke, Hauss, Javier Gomez (ESP), Joao Silva (POR) and Sebastian Rank (GER) started to build an unbeatable lead. Then with three kilometres to go, reigning Hamburg champion, Gomez tried to turn on his signature burn. But it wasn't effective this time as Kahlefeldt and Clarke stuck right to his heels. Then with one kilometre to go, Kahlefeldt, Hauss and Clarke went for it. The excitement continued to the final few steps, as until the last 50 metres it looked like Clarke had the win, before Kahlefeldt found that other gear he's employed so successfully in the past to burst through the tape. It was a blistering run, with the first four all breaking the 30-minute barrier and the top 13 finishing within a minute of Kahlefeldt.

It marked a big step in the Australian's season, after initially getting off to a great start to the 2011 season with a World Cup win in Mooloolaba, last year's overall bronze medallist didn't finish in Sydney and finished 51st in Madrid. But after a fifth place in Kitzbühel, and a period of sustained success in Hamburg, he said he wasn't settling for second this time.

"I've been to Hamburg many times, I think its my ninth time here - it's showing my age - but I got my first podium here in 2003 with a sprint finish between Andrew Johns and Bevan Docherty, so that was my first podium ever in a World Cup," Kahlefeldt said. 

"Then I think what was it after that, I think 2004 it was a top five finish and 2005 I think I was up there again, then 2006 another podium, 2007 another podium, 2009 another podium. So I've been very very close to winning many times but I just couldn't get the win, so I was thinking about that today and then on the final lap I knew I just finally had to try and get this win in. Because it's my favourite race on the circuit and I'm just very, very happy."

Kahlefeldt became just the seventh man to win a round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon Series since it was introduced as the new ITU World Championship series in 2009. It was also the first series podium, male or female, for an Australian triathlete in 2011.

It was also a huge breakthrough day for Clarke - with his first Dextro Energy Triathlon Series podium. His previous best was the fourth place he claimed in Kitzbühel just last month.

"I rounded that corner and I saw the finish line and I was like, just give 100 per cent now and I think I sacrificed myself a little bit early," Clarke said. "But I'm still absolutely delighted to get second, to be honest it's a bit more than I thought, I'm just over the moon I've been dreaming about this for a long time."

Hauss said his strategy had paid off, particulary after the wetsuit swim - which was confirmed after the water temperature was measured at 19 degrees - had initially put him back.

"I made a really bad swim with the wetsuit, but I keep going and I tried to push so that I was in control during the race and then after the bike I was in pretty confident with my run," he said. "So I wait for a chance in the race and then in the last bit I tried to break away and, I'm really really happy as I haven't got good results in my last races." 

The result also changes the top of the Dextro Energy Triathlon Series leaderboard at the halfway mark. Gomez's eventual sixth place was enough for him to take the lead from Alistair Brownlee - who didn't race in Hamburg - but the podium finishes really paid off for Clarke and Hauss, who moved up to second and third respectively. Gomez now has 2026 points, just ahead of Clarke at 1935 and Hauss at 1905. Sven Riederer (SUI) is in fourth overall and Alexander Brukhankov (RUS) in fifth. Kahlefeldt moved up seven places, to ninth, thanks to his win.

In other notable results, Chris McCormack (AUS) finished 26th in his second ITU comeback race. McCormack led the second chase pack as it aimed to bridge a 24 second intitial gap, and eventually did, and then crossed the line 26th place. It proved to be another unlucky day for reigning Olympic champion Jan Frodeno, who hasn't yet been able to win the race in his home town. Frodeno was at the front from the swim, before a problem with his bike in the final lap and eventually finished 43rd.

Hamburg marks the halfway point of the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series, with London, Lausanne and the Beijing Grand Final to come.

Final Results - Elite Men - Official - 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run                                                                                   

Gold - Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) - 1:44:08                                                                            

Silver - William Clarke (GBR) - 1:44:09                                                                 

Bronze - David Hauss (FRA) - 1:44:09                                                                                

4th - Sebastian Rank (GER) - 1:44:12                                                                                     

5th - Joao Silva (POR) - 1:44:16                                                                                    

6th - Javier Gomez (ESP) - 1:44:19                                                                                     

7th - Tim Don (GBR) - 1:44:33                                                                               

8th - Reto Hug (SUI) - 1:44:35                                                                                   

9th - Jonathan Zipf (GER) - 1:44:44                                                                                       

10th - Sven Riederer (SUI) - 1:44:56

Pontevedra, a western coastal city of Spain, which first appeared in the ITU race calendar in 2008 as host of the ITU Triathlon Premium European Cup. It has hosted that event for the past three years. Last year in Athlone, Ireland, the European titles went to Alistair Brownlee, who edged out his rival Gomez by 40 seconds, and Nicola Sprig (SUI).

The Team Triathlon event will be held the following Sunday afternoon. The European Championships have a long history with the 4 x mixed, super-sprint relay triathlon, and the International Triathlon Union is bidding to have the format included at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Kitzbühel, Austria (19 June 2011) - If there were any doubts about Paula Findlay's status as triathlon's leading lady, the Canadian star officially smashed them in Kitzbühel when she became the most successful woman in the history of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series. In yet another thrilling finish Findlay beat Helen Jenkins (GBR) for the gold, a repeat of Madrid just two weeks ago, while Sarah Groff (USA) claimed a breakthrough bronze medal - the first for an American woman in the Dextro Energy Triathlon Series.

But the day belonged to Findlay who now has five series wins to put her ahead of Emma Moffatt's (AUS) four - and incredibly, those five wins have come from her last six series races, and she is three from three in 2011.

Findlay's record breaking win in Kitzbühel was also her toughest so far in 2011. As well as cold temperatures, rain and even hail, Findlay had to make up ground from the start. She was a full minute down on the leaders after the swim and was then part of a chase group that caught the breakaway leaders, Jenkins and Sarah Haskins (USA), at the end of the fourth bike lap. 

A total of 21 athletes then hit T2 together and at stages, it looked like Groff, Moffatt and Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) would all test the Canadian but then just like in Madrid, it came down to a head-to-head with Jenkins. The 2008 World Champion, who led at almost all stages through the race just couldn't hold on, but Findlay revealed she had pushed her.

"I'm just thrilled again, that was a really hard race, I have so much respect for Helen, I really didn't think I could stay with her, I was running at maximum the whole way," Findlay said.

Jenkins said it had been a tactic to try and push Findlay earlier than she did in Madrid and it had almost paid off.

"After Madrid, I knew I wasn't going to beat her over the last 400m and over the last 2.5km I was just really trying to push on and break her, and I could see she was working, but in the last few hundred metres I just couldn't catch her," Jenkins said. 

"I'm happy with second, I wish I hadn't waited now, but it's racing you had to give it a go. Sarah (Haskins) is so strong and I thought we could get there. I'm just happy with the run, I felt awful on the first lap, but came good."

Early in the race Haskins, who won her first career ITU World Cup title last month in Monterrey, started aggressively with the swim and built a 20-second lead out of the water. Jenkins was next out and worked hard to catch the American on the first lap. Together, they evoked memories of the 2008 Vancouver ITU World Championships, when they made a break on the bike and Jenkins (nee Tucker) out-sprinted Haskins to win a world title.  It wasn't to be in Kitzbühel though as a chase pack of 19, led by Andrea Hewitt (NZL), Svenja Bazlen (GER) and Annabel Luxford (AUS), consistently cut the gap. After it started at 40 seconds in the first, they cut the time each lap and caught Haskins and Jenkins at the end of the fourth.

That group of 21 then hit T2 together, with Findlay, Haskins, Groff, Riveros Diaz, Laura Bennett, Melanie Annaheim (SUI) and Erin Densham (AUS) moving to the front quickly in the run. Moffatt then caught that group and as others dropped - it came down to Moffatt, Groff, Findlay and Jenkins in the final lap. Groff held off the others to win bronze, her first ever Dextro Energy Triathlon Series podium, and was thrilled.

"I think it was just a matter of having fun today," Groff said. "Last year I had a really rough year with injury, I'm just having fun with the sport, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to do it...I'm not a youngster like Paula (Findlay), so I'm just trying to have fun. It's not going to work every day, but it's fantastic just to be in there with some really, really strong runners."

In other notable results, Japan's Ai Ueda ran through a large portion of the field to finish seveth, while Moffatt had her best Dextro Energy Triathlon Series result so far in 2011 with fourth.

Moffatt's grip on the ITU World Championship looks to be slipping though as Findlay's win gives her a perfect 2400 series rankings points from the opening three races. Riveros Diaz is closest in the second with 1912 points, then Hewitt with 1685. Bennett is in fourth, and Jenkins close behind in sixth.

The next round in the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship series is in Hamburg, on July 16 and 17. The series then moves on to London and Lausanne before the Grand Final in Beijing.