Winter Triathlon World Championships
Brusson, Italy
Sunday, February 24, 2002
7k run, 12k mountain bike, 10k ski

(Brusson, Italy) For the 6^th time since 1997 world class winter triathletes are gathering this weekend for the annual International Triathlon Union Winter Triathlon World Championships. After previous venues of Malles,Italy, Les Menuires, France, Bardonecchia, Italy, Jaca, Spain and Lenzerheide, Switzerland, the event will be hosted this year in the picturesque resort of Brusson, situated in the Italian Aosta region, home of former World Champion Paolo Riva. Brusson, 1323 m above sea level, is known for top winter sport action, especially cross-country skiing.

With the perfect snow conditions in Brusson, confirmed on Tuesday by Paolo Riva and the 2002 Winter Triathlon World Cup leader Benjamin Sonntag (GER), the basis is laid for exciting World Championship races. Starting on Saturday at 10 am is the individual race for elite, juniors and age-group athletes, with the team relay race at 10.30. The individual race will be held over a 7 km (3 laps) run on a flat course, a 12 km mountain bike section featuring 3 laps over a mainly flat course with a slight climb and descent, and then finally a 3 lap cross-country skiing course of 10 km.

Favorites in this year's ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships are German rookie Benjamin Sonntag and the ever strong Dutch woman, Marianne Vlasveld. The 21 year young Sonntag accumulated no less than eight wins this season including the sunny World Cup races in Wildhaus and Stoos. But Marc Ruhe (LIE), the prince behind the king, challenged the German successfully last weekend in the Jaca World Cup, when lots of new snow made biking nearly impossible. Defending world champion Zibi Szlufcik (GER), the Lenzerheide Bronze medallist Christoph Mauch (SUI), Iwan Schuwey (SUI), Spain's Juan Carlos Apilluelo and Pedro Anarbe, Thomas Schrenk (GER) will do their best to challenge the pair of Sonntag and Ruhe. While two time world champion Paolo Riva ended his career and last year's silver medallist Martin Lang (GER) is concentrating on his job (dentist) and his family, the 1999/2000 world champion Nicolas Lebrun (FRA) won't be starting this weekend either.

In the women's race defending Champion Sigrid Lang (GER) will challenge Marianne Vlasveld. Lang is preparing for her final university examinations to come next week while this year's unbeaten Vlasveld has enjoyed training in Davos (SUI). The 2001 silver medallist Karin Möbes is back on the trainings tracks after having broken 2 ribs in the series opener in Wildhaus, but she is still not racing. So the third step on the podium could be for German Gabi Pauli or Spaniards Anna Serra, Immaculada Pereiro or Ana Casares.

More than 120 athletes from13 countries will be competing in Brusson. Results, post race story and pictures will be available shortly after the race at www.triathlon.org.