The grand final of the 2012 world triathlon championship series in Auckland over the weekend will have a strong representation from Otago, with no fewer than 20 athletes from the region competing.
Since the eight-race series began in Sydney in April, the world's best have competed for points at venues around the world.
Series leaders going into the Auckland event are Olympic Games bronze medalists Jonathan Brownlee (Great Britain) in the elite men and Erin Densham (Australia) in the elite women.
With the withdrawal of Tony Dodds, who is taking a break from serious racing until the New Year due to a recent appendectomy, Nicky Samuels will be the Otago region's sole representative in the elite grades, competing tomorrow.
The London Olympian, no stranger to appendix surgery herself prior to racing on the world stage, has the respectable ranking of 18th as third-ranked New Zealander in elite women behind Andrea Hewitt (fourth) and Kate McIlroy (11th).
The nature of the course makes pre-race predictions difficult, although the technical nature of the 40km bike section, containing three decent-sized hills, may play into Samuels' hands.
"It's the type of course that suits me," Samuels said.
"It will be hard work and it means there will be nowhere to hide. It may even break the field up early."
As a precursor to triathlon competition over the weekend, Samuels raced in the associated world aquathon championships on Wednesday. She won the elite women's category, completing the 1km swim and 5km run course in a slick 33min 2sec.
Samuels also won an ITU race in South Korea last month in an impressive 2hr 1min 51sec, and will not be short of confidence tomorrow.
With Rob Creasy and Florence van Dyke winning silver medals in their age groups, the aquathon championship has also provided a boost for two of Otago's best chances in age-group competition on Monday. That will be raced over the same Olympic standard distance course, involving a 1500m swim, 40km bike and 10km run.
Creasy has made no secret of his desire to win the men's 30-34 title, and it would be a fitting reward for a top servant of iron man and triathlon should he clinch an age-group title that was cruelly denied him over the final stages of the world triathlon championships in 2009.
Van Dyke recorded a smart 1hr 12min 24sec on a sprint distance course when finishing mid-field in the Otago triathlon championships two years ago and could be considered a relative dark horse to claim a medal in the women's 20-24 grade despite it being her first competitive test over the Olympic distance.
Working in her favour will be the presence in the same age-group field of fellow Otago representatives Olivia Moon, Nicole Gillespie, Kathryn Kennedy and Amelia Kinnaird.
Katie Menzies showed top form in the disciplines of running and biking when winning the senior women's Otago duathlon title last month, and a good swim stage will set her up with a real chance to gain a medal in the women's 25-29 grade, should she carry that same form over to the bike and run.
In the women's 30-34 grade, Tess Molloy is due a top result after finishing runner-up in open women's competition in the past two Otago triathlon championships, and a smart time of 1hr 4min 9sec over the sprint distance earlier this year could translate to her being a contender in her age group.
World triathlon champs
Otago contingent
Nicky Samuels (women's elite); Nichole Gillespie, Kathryn Kennedy, Amelia Kinnaird, Florence Van Dyke, Olivia Moon (women's 20-24); Katie Menzies, Amanda Scott (women's 25-29); Tessa Molloy (women's 30-34); Rob Creasy (men 30-34); Andrea Elvines (women 40-44); Karen Blackwood, Adair Craik (women 45-49); Stephen Colpitts (men 45-49); Marion Maxwell (women 50-54); Lindsay Dey (men 60-64)
In associated races Lisa Rush and Bronte Tennant contest the sprint distance event (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) and Stefannie Gillespie the
aquathon.
