By Triathlon.kiwi
The final countdown is on for a team of 200+ Kiwis set to compete at the 2024 World Triathlon Multisport Championships Townsville.
Wednesday, May 8 marked 100 days to the August 14-25 event where 19 World Championship races across five different levels of athletes – Age Group, Para Triathletes, Junior, Under 23 and Elites – will be decided over the 12 days.
The Multisport World Championships will see Sprint and Standard Duathlon, Cross Triathlon and Cross Duathlon, Aquathlon, Long Distance Triathlon, and Aquabike, World Championship races organised together, with all events to be held in close proximity to the centre of Townsville.
The full NZL team for Townsville can be seen here.
The Parade of Nations, Opening Ceremony and Check In, Merchandise and the Event Expo are located in the prime central location of Strand Park, with the Closing Ceremony and afterparty to be hosted in Palmer Street.
Racing will be split across two venues, with road-based events of Duathlon, Aquathon, Long Course Triathlon and Aquabike to be based out of Jezzine Barracks. Offroad events of Cross Triathlon and Cross Duathlon are to be hosted at the beautiful Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park. Both venues are within easy reach of the event hub at Strand Park, with Jezzine Barracks a 10-minute walk and Pallarenda Park a 12-minute drive.
Leanna Ali, Regional Director for The IRONMAN Group Oceania, said that preparations are in full swing for the upcoming event.
“With less than 100 days to go until we welcome athletes to Townsville our preparations are in their final stages, with the World Triathlon Multisport Championships set to be a great event for athletes, their supporters and the local community,” said Ali. “We can’t wait to see thousands take to our courses as we showcase the region to the triathlon world.”
World Triathlon President and IOC Member Marisol Casado is looking forward to one of the sport’s flagship events taking part in Queensland.
“We are absolutely delighted to return to Queensland for one of our flagship events: the Multisport World Championships in Townsville,” said Casado. “Australia has always been a synonymous of triathlon on its multiple variations, and has proved to be a magnificent host for the triathlon family, playing host to some truly memorable performances and great champions, staging races the results of which have helped shape the path of entire seasons. We witnessed it only a few weeks ago in Wollongong with a fabulous World Cup that serve as a test event for the Championship Finals next year, and we are all looking forward to Townsville this summer.
“This is a fantastic event that has proved to be hugely beneficial for athletes, spectators and media alike, allowing the global World Triathlon family the opportunity to gather together for a true celebration of the sport, and we are extremely excited to head to Townsville in 2024,” she said.
Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson said Townsville was proud to be hosting this world-class sporting event.
“Visitors to The Strand this week will see the World Triathlon Multisport Championships clock tick even closer to this exciting event kicking off,” Cr Thompson said. “Hosting this event here in Townsville is a reflection of the city’s reputation as the events capital of Northern Australia. We’re anticipating thousands of visitors to the city for this major event, which will create a significant economic injection for our local hospitality and tourism businesses.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the travelling athletes arrive in Townsville in August and know that our residents will be keen to see them compete during the 12-day event,” he said.
The World Triathlon Multisport Championships made its debut in the World Triathlon calendar in 2017 in Penticton (Canada), a successful event that was followed by Fyn (Denmark) in 2018 and Pontevedra (Spain) in 2019. The event had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic and in 2021 was split in three different locations: Almere (The Netherlands) hosted the Long Distance and Aquabike races, while the Duathlon World Championships were organised in Aviles (Spain), and the Cross Triathlon World Championships took place in El Anillo (Spain).
The 2022 World Triathlon Multisport Championships took place in Targu Mures and Samorin (Slovakia), while the 2023 event went back to its traditional set up of one location hosting all events, Ibiza (Spain), hosted the Multisport Championships from 29 April until May 7, 2023.
The World Triathlon Multisport Championships Townsville is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
For more on the 2024 World Triathlon Multisport Championships Townsville visit https://townsville.triathlon.org/
