France鈥檚 Sylvain Sudrie is back to defend his International Triathlon Union (ITU) title in Penticton.
That doesn鈥檛 concern Canadian Lionel Sanders, who is ready to dethrone the champ starting at 6:20 a.m. on Sunday in the three-kilometre swim, 120-km bike and 30-km run.
鈥淚 came here in good shape. I didn鈥檛 come here to do anything other than to 鈥� they can roll me away in a stretcher at the end for all I care, I definitely come here to try and take the win,鈥� said Sanders of Windsor, Ont. during a press conference at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. 鈥淚f I get beat, it鈥檚 because someone outworked me and that鈥檚 all there is to it.鈥�
Sanders was taking questions from the media and public during the press conference Saturday morning that included local pros Jeffrey Symonds and Jen Annett, Australians Josh Amberger and Melissa Hauschildt, Great Britain鈥檚 Leanda Cave and Canadians Rachel McBride and 琉璃神社鈥檚 Heather Wurtele.
Sanders denied there is any pressure in facing Sudrie. Sanders, who won Ironman Arizona in 2016 and is a 12-time Ironman 70.3 champ, said he can only do what he is capable of. He has never faced Sudrie but has done research on the three-time ITU champ (France in 2013, 2014 and Oklahoma in 2016).
鈥淚 think anytime you can go for a world championship title, they can take records away from you, but they can鈥檛 take world titles away from you,鈥� said the 29-year-old. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 entering sort of the peak of my career. It鈥檚 prime time. Now鈥檚 the time to show what you got.鈥�
| Australia's Joshua Amberger is ready to take on a deep elite mens field for the ITU Long Course distance World Championship. Amberger is primarily a half-distance triathlete racing this distance for the second time.(Emanuel Sequeira/Western News) |
Australian Joshua Amberger will also be looking to find the podium in just his second time competing in this distance. In his ITU career, he has three wins and seven podium finishes in 33 starts. This season he has won Ironman 70.3 Calgary, Ironman 70.3 J枚nk枚ping and the Byron Bay Triathlon in Australia.
The 28-year-old likes to be at the front of the crowd and is confident there. Amberger said he knows he will have company from his French opposition, but as well as American Andy Potts. He said Potts may be 41, but 鈥渉e鈥檚 one of the biggest hitters in triathlon ever.鈥�
Among Potts accomplishments is being a two-time World Cup Champion, World Team Champion in 2006, the U.S. Triathlete of the Year and an Olympian in 2004.
On the women鈥檚 side, there will be a new champion as Jodie Swallow of Great Britain is not competing. Fellow Brit Leanda Cave will try and defend the World Championship for her country. Cave, who won this championship 10 years ago knows her opponents will be bringing their best.
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鈥淚 like to page my best on the girls having to chase me down, rather than me having to chase them down,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese girls I know are exceptional cyclists. They don鈥檛 leave anything out there.鈥�
Among the women鈥檚 field, McBride is the lone female who reached the podium last year in Oklahoma who is competing.
| Great Britain's Leanda Cave is racing for the International Triathlon Union Long Course World Championship in Penticton Sunday. Cave won the 2002 Short Course World Championships in Cancun, Mexico, among her other accomplishments.(Emanuel Sequeira/Western News) |
鈥淚 love the fact that there is some hills in it. We don鈥檛 see a lot of races that challenge the athletes enough with climbing these days,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exciting for me. I feel that climbing is definitely one of my strengths. A flat run I鈥檓 never going to complain about.鈥�
Amberger, who hasn鈥檛 seen the entire course, said what he has seen is spectacular and reminds him of Queenstown in New Zealand.
鈥淭he lake and the hills. It seems like just a really good atmosphere to have a race in,鈥� said Amberger, who has represented Australia several times. 鈥淚鈥檓 always a fan of a downtown, a downtown finish. Typically when it鈥檚 like that, the town is always getting behind it and there is always a lot of curiosity from people walking around. It鈥檚 nice to be racing in a city with so much triathlon history.
