Triathlon Mixed Relay World Series Team Named

Triathlon Mixed Relay World Series Team for Nottingham and Hamburg Named

31 May 2019

The New Zealand team for the Nottingham and Hamburg Mixed Relay World Series events have been named.

The entertaining format of Mixed Relay has been included in major games programs such as the Youth Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and will make its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

For the 2019 World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series Nottingham on 15th June a team of four athletes and two reserves have been named. The order the athletes compete in will be made by Triathlon New Zealand officials following consultation with the athletes after the individual race in Leeds.

Nicole van der Kaay, Ainsley Thorpe, Tayler Reid, Hayden Wilde have been selected with Sophie Corbidge and Sam Ward named as reserves.

For the 2019 ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championship Hamburg on 7th July a team of six athletes have been named. The athletes competing and order the athletes compete in will be made by the Triathlon New Zealand officials following consultation with the athletes after tne indiviual race in Hamburg.

Nicole van der Kaay, Ainsley Thorpe, Sophie Corbidge, Tayler Reid, Hayden Wilde, and Sam Ward have been named.

National Performance Manager of Triathlon New Zealand Stephen Sheldrake says that this is the second time competing in Nottingham on the flat and fast course and that last year was a steep learning curve for the team.

"Any little mistake can mean the difference between challenging for the podium or coming 12th as we did. Last year our athletes had travelled from NZ to Nottingham and it was our first major event of the International season, this year everyone will have raced in Leeds or in Mexico so will have blown out any rust and have jetlag out of way'.

Sheldrake says that Hamburg is a very important event for our MR team as it is also the World Championships and it will give us an idea at how we are tracking towards Tokyo.

"Last year we placed 11th and will be looking to do a lot better this year. We are currently ranked 4th in the world on ITU rankings due to our two podiums in Edmonton in 2018 and Abu Dhabi at the first race of the series in March this year.

Sheldrake goes onto say "we want to be challenging for a podium position as we are just over a year out from the Olympics. Hamburg is more technical than Nottingham and transition and bike skills will play a major role in the outcome."

Nicole van der Kaay from Taupo says that she is pleased with being selected "I'm thrilled to be nominated as part of the Triathlon New Zealand team for Mixed Relay, it’s an honour to wear the black and silver suit and race against the best in the world but especially as part of the team tracking towards Tokyo 2020."

Tayler Reid who is the current U23 World Champion, is also pleased to be part of the squad "I am stoked to have been selected for Nottingham and Hamburg Mixed Relay. Last year in Nottingham we had a few mishaps and it wasn’t our best performance as a team so I think everyone will be fired up and looking for a bit of redemption. Now everyone is a lot more experienced in Mixed Relay racing and know what we have to bring to race day to be in the hunt for the podium."

Ainsley Thorpe is also looking forward to racing. "I'm looking forward to having another opportunity to race mixed team relay in the World Series.

Hayden Wilde says he is excited to represent New Zealand again in a Mixed Relay event. "First time racing in Nottingham and I hear it’s a pretty fast course where you can just put your head down and go!!! We have an extremely young but very dynamic team and I’m pretty sure we can make some magic."

Sophie Corbidge says "It’s always a privilege to race for NZ at a world championship event, and I’m happy to be selected for the MR team. After coming home with a bronze medal in Abu Dhabi, I’ve been motivated to get back on the podium. Hamburg is a stunning city and the local support is always out of this world.”

Sam Ward says he is looking forward to heading back to Hamburg for the most exciting and fastest race on the WTS calendar. "With a World Title on the line and valuable Olympic points the fields will be super strong and a good result will be very important. We have a strong team that should be up near the front of the race."

The Triathlon Mixed Relay World Series events for this season are Abu Dhabi on the 9th March, Nottingham on the 15th June and Hamburg on the 7th July
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