Garmin Triathlon Barcelona 2011, fifth round of the world in participation

Barcelona is preparing for the Garmin Triathlon 2011, the fifth event in the world in participation and the most important in Spain, and that with its starting gun on October 16 will break the registration record, with 6.000 competitors and several world and Spanish stars .

This test, which combines swimming, cycling and athletics, was presented today at the Barcelona City Council, a city that in this discipline is only behind cities such as London, Hamburg, New York and San Francisco, but in just two years the number of participants in the Catalan capital has doubled.

Participants in the three individual categories and the three relays must swim in the waters of the Nueva Mar Bella beach, pedal along the Diagonal and Litoral avenue and run through the Arc de Triomphe and the Parque de la Ciutadella, among other scenarios from the city.

“It will be a spectacular test due to the level of the athletes. Barcelona is the fifth city in Triathlon, but only Hamburg also does it through the city center and in emblematic places, as in the case of Barcelona", recalled the athlete Cesc Godoy, winner of the contest in 2009.

Godoy will be one of the great male protagonists of the event, in which Jonas Djurbak and David Ples, national champions of Sweden and Slovakia, respectively, also stand out. Also the Portuguese Joao Silva, the German Nicolás Becker and the Danish Rasmus Petreas have confirmed their attendance.

The Spanish presence will be headed by Godoy, Mario Morla (2009 Junior World Champion and fourth in the 2011 European Absolute), Fernando Alarza (Junior 2010 world champion), Xavi Llobet (Olympic triathlete at the Athens Games) and Albert Parreño.

But, as highlighted by the Deputy Mayor of the Barcelona City Council, Maite Fandos, female participation in this edition has seen a significant increase, by more than 14%, and presents the best poster in its history.

Among them, the English Jodie Stimpson (winner in 2009, 2010 and current team world champion), who will star in an exciting duel with Nicola Spirig (2009 and 2010 European champion, world runner-up and winner of three World Series) and Ricard Lisk (winner of the World Cup in Hamburg 2008 and Olympic in Beijing).

Likewise, the Spanish Ainhoa ​​Murua will close her brilliant season in Barcelona, ​​after securing the Olympic place for the London 2012 Games.

And although they will not participate in the Barcelona event, the three best triathletes in the world will attend as spectators, the brothers Alistar and Jonathan Brownlee and the double world champion and Spanish star, Javeir Gómez Noya.

"There has always been an effort to promote the quality sports aspect of this event, with top-level athletes, but also to make room for everyone, to make it popular and for all citizens to have access", concluded the General Secretary of the Catalan Federation of Triathlon, Sergi Noguera. EFE

Source: abc.es