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Hyde Park triathlon to test the water for London Olympics
Matthew Beard12.05.09
London will become the centre of global sport this summer as Hyde Park hosts the world triathlon championships.
A crowd of more than 250,000 is expected to watch the world's best triathletes battle for £150,000 prize money on the course to be used for the London Olympics.
As millions of viewers tune in around the world, 120 elite athletes, including leading British triathlete Tim Don, will swim 1,500 metres through the Serpentine before cycling 40km and running 10km in laps through the landscape created to satisfy Henry VIII's passion for hunting.
Unveiling the prestigious race today, organisers said the field is likely to include German Olympic men's champion Jan Frodeno and women's world champion, Helen Jenkins from Wales.
Around 2,000 of Britain's best amateur runners will line up in a separate race, also in Hyde park. The event, on 15 and 16 August, will also test the London 2012 course — although cycling at the Olympics will be extended to The Mall and Westminster.
Organisers are hoping to rival the success of the Tour de France, which visited London two years ago and drew huge crowds. Hundreds of thousands lined the streets for the first stage, which is thought to have given a £100 million-plus boost to the capital's economy.
For the triathlon, the International Triathlon Union opted to stage the UK leg of the inaugural world series — in which athletes accumulate points — in Hyde Park instead of Salford Quays in Manchester.
As the triathlon venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Salford Quays had been preferred by the union in recent years but organisers wanted to test the London market.
Efforts to bring the sport's top annual event to London have been co-ordinated by City Hall via its tourism arm Visit London.
City Hall marketing director Dan Ritterband said it was evidence that London is already reaping an Olympic dividend.
He said: “People grumble about the Games and construction costs and they only get excited just beforehand, but we want to break that mould. We recognise the value of sport financially and to the London brand and now we've got the budget and team to pursue international sports events.”
Ms Jenkins, the reigning women's world champion, who finished 21st in Beijing, said: “This is the first major international competition in Hyde Park. For me everything is geared toward London 2012 and to compete on the Olympic course is good for my preparation. I'm sure a home crowd will provide a boost too.”
