European and World Titles across multiple categories on the line.

World Under 23 Championship

Erin McConnell races in the U23 World Championships on Sunday in a strong field with 14 Top 100 athletes.  Number 1 is Cathia Schar who won a bronze in the European Championships this year and currently lies 18th in the World Series rankings. 4 of last year's Top 10 go again from a race in which McConnell finished 24th. She beat some of her rivals in her last individual international race in Larache when finishing 2nd and was in the leading group on the bike for much of the European Games in July. She hasn't raced many standard distance races so this will be a good test of where her 10k pace is now.

Jonathan Oakey goes in the U23 men's race, Saturday which sees recent Valencia World Cup winner, David Cantero Del Campo, take of Karlovy Vary 5th place Simon Henseleit and newly crowned Americas Champion John Reed in another strong field. Oakey has been very good in shorter events recently , particularly over swim and bike, and ran a promising 10k in Dakhla in May on his way to 9th. If he has had a smooth run into the race this could be an interesting one to follow.

World Paratriathlon Championship

In the Para races Chloe Maccombe and Donnacha McCarthy go in the PTVI classification with guides Catherine Sands and Sean Husband. Both races feature 9 of the current Top 10 in the respective rankings and are the deepest fields I've seen for some time. The Irish athletes are ranked 5th and 9th this weekend in races where the classic goal of beating your number will be a real achievement. With both athletes currently in qualifying positions for Paralympic Games slots for Ireland, this weekend has added significance with the additional points on offer over other race series.   

Also in Pontevedra the World Triathlon Championship Series finals take place beside the World Age Group races over Standard and Super Sprint distances and Aquabike. I'm particularly intrigued by the Super Sprint race as it is non drafting on a course only 6.4km long with a lot of turns, after a very short 300m swim.

European Club Relay Championships

It may not be the world championships but the European Club Championships this weekend for Elite and Juniors is, for me, one of the most important events, from a development perspective, that Irish teams go to. Featuring top ranked athletes from around the world representing clubs from series like the French Grand Prix and Bundesliga, this is top level competition. The potential to compete against these teams, learn from them, and measure yourself against them is a huge opportunity for all, not just athletes, but officials and coaches as well. While beating the European Triathlon equivalents of Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich in the Elite race may be a stretch, for now, the Elites and Juniors heading off this week are continuing to build on the experiences of previous Irish Teams. Best of racing to Athy, Limerick and Predator Triathlon Clubs particularly those racing for the first time internationally.

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