Gustavo Rodríguez the great favorite for the Bilbao Triathlon

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1.200 triathletes will be on the start line of the Bilbao Triathlon

 less than 24 hours for the celebration of the seventh edition ofl Bilbao Triathlon, everything is prepared so that 1.200 triathletes from 12 nationalities will be released to the Ría de Bilbao in the two distances (Half and Olympic) that will be developed throughout the day of Saturday 20 of May in the heart of the Biscayan capital. This figure is the record of a test that sold out its entries for several months, and that will give the chance to see more than a thousand athletes throwing themselves into the Ría del Nervión.

The Bilbao Triathlon will present on Saturday 20 May a very attractive duel in the fight to take the triumph in the distance Half male, where the Galician Gustavo Rodríguez, triple champion of the event, part as the opponent to beat against triathletes like the reigning European champion Denis Sketako.

The Pontevedrés, who will be looking for his fourth txapela in the Arenal goal, arrives in Bilbao after having achieved the title of Middle Distance Spain champion (MD) on Saturday and showing his good form.

Opposite will have a list of hard competitors in which highlights the Slovenian Denis Sketako, current European champion of MD, which will premiere in Bilbao, without forgetting the Italian Dominic Pasuello, former professional cyclist of the Quick Steep and with a track record in which highlights the triumphs in such outstanding trials as the Ironmans 70.3 in Taiwan and Malaysia, the Challenge of the Philippines, Arenales de Elche, or the Italian national championship.

The local options are headed by the gernikarra Mikel Elgezabal, winner in the first two editions of the test, and that in this 2017 has returned with strength, winning for example the Triathlon Steelives de Mijas a few weeks ago. Among the candidates for the triumph also appears the malagueño Andrés Carnevali, fourth last year in his debut in Bilbao, before getting the silver in the 'National' of MD or the Belarusian Mikita Hryhoryeu, double champion of his country in MD.

Do not forget the youth, embodied in the legendary Ander Okamika, current champion of Euskadi and fifth last year, in addition to the French Arthur Horseau, University Champion of France and Age group, and second in the Sardines Titus Triathlon Cassis, so only surpassed by double LD world champion Sylvain Sudrie; and the Catalan Eric Merino, winner in 2016 of the sailfish Half Triatlo Berga and good climber as shown by his fourth place in Alpe d'Huez Triathlon in 2016 or bronze in the Triathlon du Aubisque in 2014.

In the list of 'outsiders' can not miss the German Johannes Moldan, the experienced British Mark Livesey, in addition to a reference as Ramón Ejeda, that counts in his palmarés with several positions of honor in tests of Glass of the World.

CORACHÁN AND BILHAM, FAVORITES TO TRIUMPH

In females there is a wide range of candidates for final victory, although the favoritism falls on the Catalan Judith Corachán, who after finishing second in the last two editions, is well versed in the race and wants to test the honeys of the triumph after seeing how in the last editions she was relegated to the second podium. Champion of Spain in 2015, arrives at a good moment in form to Bilbao, after finishing second in the Challenge of Rimini (Italy) two weeks ago.

Its maximum rival will be the Swiss Emma Bilham, which last weekend won the Ironman 70.3 in Aix en Provence (France) ahead, for example, of winning triathletes in Bilbao such as Åsa Lundström or Gurutze Frades. Bilham, who has already won the Cannes Triathlon and the Ironman 70.3 in Barcelona in 2017, also beat the French Manon Genet, LD gala runner-up in 2016, who finished fifth in the event and will also be in Bilbao tomorrow.

We must also mention among the candidates the triumph of the Portuguese Vanessa Pereira, long-distance Lusa champion six times and podium in Ironmans like those of Camina, Cascais or Lisbon, the British Hannah Drewett, habitual of the European circuit, and Caroline Livesey, fifth in the past Ironman of Lanzarote, or the Cantabria Estefanía Gómez , second in Bilbao at 2013.

THE 'OLYMPIC' BET IS REPEATED

After the good reception that was last year the bet to include the Olympic distance in the Bilbao Triathlon, Innevento has wanted to repeat the experience and will be a total of 600 triathletes who will take the exit in this distance. In 2016 the triumph was won by the Australian Ryan Bailie, that, after finishing tenth in the Rio de Janeiro Games and competing in the World Series with Noya or the Brownlee brothers, this year will try to repeat the victory against rivals of the level of the Venezuelan Luis Miguel Velasquez.

In females, the Australian Charlotte McShane, second last year and usual in the international circuit, the Olympic Barakaldesa Zuriñe Rodríguez, that counts in his palmarés with multiple podios in Championships of Europe and the World, and Ibone Sánchez, several times champion of Euskadi and that last March finished very close to the 'Top 20' in his debut in the European Cup triathlon.