Bevan Docherty will this Saturday look to make it two from two in the ITU Dextro Energy World Championship Triathlon Series event in Seoul but he will have to first overcome a nagging head cold to be at his best in a race that is covered live in New Zealand on Sky Sport.
The 33 year old was hugely impressive in winning race one of the seven race World Champs Series in Sydney last month, reaffirming his status as one of the best in the world but the competition is so close that the US based triathlete can ill afford the cold that has hampered him for a week now.
"I'm not sure what effect it will have on me until race day I guess. The good news is I am so fit at the moment that I can afford a few days off training this week to try and come right and not lose too much in the process so we will have to wait and see how I am feeling on Saturday."
Docherty admits though he might be watched a little more closely this Saturday after his Sydney tactics.
"The race dynamic changes after Sydney, I was allowed to go away a little easier on the bike in Sydney than I will perhaps in the future but I am still in great shape and able to look after myself.
"Seoul is a new course so we are not sure what to expect but I can almost guarantee the usual suspects will be up the front pushing hard. I'm sure the Russians will go hard from the gun but I am in good shape and I know everyone else is keen to peg one back so it should be a great race."
The race on Sunday marks only the second time an ITU event has been staged in Korea's capital. Home to over ten million people, Seoul will be the largest city to host an ITU event in 2010 and many of the world's best have made the journey to a city renowned for its architecture.
Making things tough for Docherty will be Spaniard Javier Gomez, who finished second in the world rankings last year but was forced to sit out the 2010 Series opener in Sydney due to a hip injury. The hip has since healed and that means Gomez will be looking to make up for lost points in Seoul.
Joining Docherty on the start line from New Zealand is Kris Gemmell, Clark Ellice and Martin van Barneveld. Gemmell will be looking for an improvement on his first up 15th place in Sydney when he didn't have the legs to stay with the leaders on the run, the Palmerston North triathlete has kept a low profile since and has the class to contend on Sunday.
Clark Ellice (New Plymouth) is looking to improve on his steady start to the season (22nd in Sydney) with a better swim to stay in touch with the lead group on the bike while van Barneveld (Wellington) was forced to withdraw in Sydney after cutting his head prior to the race and requiring 7 stitches.
As was the case in Sydney, two Olympic champions are on the start list in Seoul in the form of Canadian Simon Whitfield and Germany's Jan Frodeno. Whitfield had a solid 2010 debut, finishing fifth in Sydney, while Frodeno was relegated to a disappointing 32nd-place showing after a bike crash entering the second transition.
Hewitt Expects Tough Race As Snowsill Returns
Fifty-six women are on the start list for Saturday's race and once again Kiwi Andrea Hewitt is mentioned in all dispatches as one to watch after her season opening second place finish in Sydney behind 22-year-old Chilean Barbara Riveros Diaz.
With a field that includes current world champion Emma Moffatt (AUS) and a first race of the season for Beijing Olympic champion Emma Snowsill (AUS) and a host of other contenders, there is little surprise that Hewitt expects racing to be fierce.
"I expect Seoul will be a really tough race. It marks the return of Emma Snowsill, the reigning Olympic Champion, who has been out injured for nine months and there are also a lot of other girls in form who think they can win.
"It'll definitely be a battle on the run. It will just be whether some of us are game enough to try something on the bike which is more likely here than Sydney as the forecast is for a cool day which means the weather won't be so draining and going faster during the bike will have less effect on the run than if it is hot.
"It's hard to say though; anything can happen with a field as strong as Saturday's. I expect everyone will try to be at the front and stick to the front of the race all day, including me."
Auckland's Debbie Tanner is looking in some ways to atone for a disappointing performance in Sydney as she contemplates a five month trip away from home.
"It is remarkably smoggy here at the moment but I do not think that will play a factor in the race, the water temperature however is pretty cool with 16 degrees being recorded today. This is the great thing about our sport so many variables, never the same.
"I was disappointed with my race in Sydney so am looking for a good race here this weekend, training has been going well. My coach and I have tweaked a few things to get the body ready for a fast course here in Seoul."
Others to watch for on Saturday include Sweden's Lisa Norden, who finished as the runner-up to Moffatt in last year's world rankings and Switzerland's Daniela Ryf, who finished ninth in Sydney while fellow Kiwis Nicky Samuels and Kate McIlroy will also line up looking for strong performances to set up their seasons.
ITU Dextro Energy World Championship Series: Seoul, Korea
Saturday 8th May
Elite Women
1pm
Live coverage on Sky Sport 2
Elite Men
4pm
Live coverage on Sky Sport 1
Live coverage also at www.triathlon.org/tv.
