TEMPE, Ariz. – Three Arizona State triathletes prepare for ITU World Triathlon Grand Finals next week in Rotterdam, Netherlands, a city about an hour south of Amsterdam.
Hannah Henry and Kyla Roy, who finished first and third, respectively, in their first collegiate triathlon earlier this week will each represent Team Canada on the Junior Elite Team on Sept. 15 before senior Katie Gorczyca represents the United States in the U23 race the following day (Sept. 16).
For all three, past World Championship and international competition experience will prepare them for next week's races. All three competed last year in Cozumel while Roy also competed two years ago in Chicago.
All three also have one thing in common – desired improvement on previous results.
"This year, I feel like I have more experience with that higher level of racing, so for me, my goal is to do better than I did last year," said Gorczyca, who finished 15th last year in Cozumel. "I want to take what I've learned from Coach English and the other girls to really excel during the race."
Roy agreed, saying one of her favorite parts of international competition is the opportunity to represent her country, finishing near the top 20 the last two years. Fellow Team Canada Junior Elite member Henry finished 12th in Cozumel last September.
Outside of racing, the student-athletes look forward to experiencing a different culture, most especially for Roy who will be making her first trip to Europe.
"But I'm not looking forward to the time change," she says with a laugh, adding she hopes that sleep on the flight will help her adjust and prepare for tough competition.
The Junior Elite race will be sprint distance, similar to the collegiate triathlon season (750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run) while the U23 race is Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10 km run).
For more information, visit http://rotterdam.triathlon.org/.
Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 15 – Junior Elite Race (Hannah and Kyla) – 3pm CEST/6 am PT
Saturday, Sept. 16 – U23 Women's Race (Katie) – 10am CEST/1 am PT
Hannah Henry and Kyla Roy, who finished first and third, respectively, in their first collegiate triathlon earlier this week will each represent Team Canada on the Junior Elite Team on Sept. 15 before senior Katie Gorczyca represents the United States in the U23 race the following day (Sept. 16).
For all three, past World Championship and international competition experience will prepare them for next week's races. All three competed last year in Cozumel while Roy also competed two years ago in Chicago.
All three also have one thing in common – desired improvement on previous results.
"This year, I feel like I have more experience with that higher level of racing, so for me, my goal is to do better than I did last year," said Gorczyca, who finished 15th last year in Cozumel. "I want to take what I've learned from Coach English and the other girls to really excel during the race."
Roy agreed, saying one of her favorite parts of international competition is the opportunity to represent her country, finishing near the top 20 the last two years. Fellow Team Canada Junior Elite member Henry finished 12th in Cozumel last September.
Outside of racing, the student-athletes look forward to experiencing a different culture, most especially for Roy who will be making her first trip to Europe.
"But I'm not looking forward to the time change," she says with a laugh, adding she hopes that sleep on the flight will help her adjust and prepare for tough competition.
The Junior Elite race will be sprint distance, similar to the collegiate triathlon season (750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run) while the U23 race is Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10 km run).
For more information, visit http://rotterdam.triathlon.org/.
Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 15 – Junior Elite Race (Hannah and Kyla) – 3pm CEST/6 am PT
Saturday, Sept. 16 – U23 Women's Race (Katie) – 10am CEST/1 am PT