2016 Tiszaujvaros ITU Triathlon World Cup features semi-finals in 20th edition

The ITU World Cup season continues this weekend, with the sixth stop of the ten-part World Cup calendar rocking up in the iconic Hungarian town of Tiszaujvaros. The northern Hungarian city is one of the longest running World Cup locations in ITU history. Part of a week-long party, the race is a favourite for many top athletes.

For this year’s 20th anniversary of the Tiszaujvaros World Cup, the event will maintain its semi-finals and finals format, with three semi-finals for the men and two for the female triathletes taking place on Saturday. The finals, meanwhile, will be held on Sunday.

Women’s Elite Preview
For the first semi-final, 22 athletes will make up the pontoon for the three-lap 750m swim course, before taking their bikes for a two-lap 20km flat bike run. The 5km run is also going to be fast and flat, with a course designed for the whole town to get behind the athletes.

Ukraine’s Yuliya Yelistratova will be one of the ones to beat in this semi-final, having recently won second place at the European Championships in Lisbon and a podium position in Huatulco. She will definitely have a very strong opponent in local athlete Margit Vanek, third on the European Champs ranking and winner of the ETU European Cup in Melilla.

USA’s Lindsey Jerdonek or Australia’s Emma Jeffcoat will be among the other ones to watch.

In the second semifinal, Renee Tomlin (US) already knows what it’s like to race in Tiszaujvaros and will be a great competitor, having finished fifth at WTS Abu Dhabi and in the Mooloolaba World Cup.

Other athletes to keep an eye out for will be Japan’s Yuko Takahashi, Russia’s Elena Danilova, France’s Michelle Flipo and Spain’s Anna Godoy Contreras, all of whom have shown some strong performances this season.

The top 14 athletes in each semi-final will qualify for the final – to be held on Sunday – with another two places awarded to the next two best times.

Men’s Elite Preview
Silver medalist in the European Championship in Lisbon a month ago, Russian Dmitry Polyanskiy is one of the favourites in heat one, along with Australian Luke Willian and Hungarian athletes Istvan Kiraly and Akos Vanek, who will certainly be able to count on the crowd’s support.

The Russian team deployed in Tiszy is quite strong, with Igor Polyanski and Vladimir Turbayevskiy among the ones to follow in the second semi-final. But they will face some strong competitors as well, with Spain’s Francesc Godoy, Australia’s Drew Box  or France’s Raphael Montoya fighting for a spot in the finals.

In the third semi-final, the local athletes will be very strong competitors, with Gabor Faldum, Tamas Toth and Laszlo Tarnai trying to secure their spot in the final, in addition to strong opponents such as Ukraine’s Ivan Ivanov and Italy’s Delian Stateff.

The top nine athletes in each semi-final will qualify for the final, which is slated for Sunday, with another three places awarded to the next three best times.

Click here for the full preview

ABOUT THE RACE:
Now in its 20th year, Tiszaujvaros is just two hours from Budapest, and due to its status as the second longest running ITU event is known as the triathlon capital of Hungary. The World Cup has one of the best atmospheres of any on the ITU calendar and is a summer tradition in Tiszaujvaros, as the event has a festival like vibe. ITU legends like Emma Carney, Hamish Carter, Loretta Harrop and Javier Gomez have all topped the podium at this event.

SCHEDULE:
Elite Women
Semi-finals – Saturday 9 July – from 15:32 (UTC/GMT +2) Click here for time in your area
Final – Sunday 10 July – 15:45 Click here for time in your area

Elite Men
Semi-finals – Saturday 9 July from 16:21 (UTC/GMT +2) Click here for time in your area
Final – Sunday 10 July – 17:10 Click here for time in your area

START LISTS:
Click here for the women’s start list
Click here for the men’s start list

PRIZE MONEY:
$60,000 USD (equal for men & women)

LIVE COVERAGE:
Live timing and text coverage from Tiszaujvaros will be available on race day at triathlon.org/live or at @triathlonlive on Twitter.

COURSE PROFILE:
SEMI-FINALS
Swim – 750m – Three laps of a 250m swim circuit with a pontoon start, wetsuits are not expected
Bike – 20km – Two laps of a mostly flat circuit
Run – 5km – Three laps of a most flat and fast run
Click here for a course map

FINALS
Swim – 750m – Three laps of a 250m swim circuit with a pontoon start, wetsuits are not expected
Bike – 20km – Eight laps of a mostly flat course
Run – 5km – Four laps of a mostly flat and fast run course
Click here for a course map

FORMAT:
This ITU World Cup marks the debut of the new multi-round, multi-day sprint format. The event will be decided over two days, with sprint distance semi-finals held on Saturday and then a sprint distance final on the Sunday. The total number of entries will decide the number of semi-finals – three for the men and three for the women on Saturday, with a maximum of 30 athletes in each semi-final, which will start in waves. Every semi-final will qualify a fixed number of athletes for the final and additionally a number of athletes will qualify based on the best times. For example, if the total field is between 31 and 60, there will be two semifinals; the top 14 in each will go through to the final and a further two will go through on time, creating a final field of 30. A full breakdown of the numbers and rules can be found on page 55, section 20 of the ITU Competition Rules.