Aileen Morrison and Gavin Noble will compete in the final points scoring race before official London qualification is announced on Thursday 31st, at the Madrid leg of the World Triathlon Series. Morrison cannot drop out of the top 55 required for qualification so will be using Madrid to sharpen her race fitness and further prepare for Hyde Park on August 4th.
Her impressive start to the season which includes 3 podium finishes has boosted her to 9th on the Olympic Rankings.
With the absence of 2011 World Champion Helen Jenkins and 2 x World Champion Emma Moffatt, Morrison goes into Saturday’s race seeded 7th and hoping for a good result.
Morrison has seen significant progress in her swimming this season so will be keen to exit the 1500m swim with the leaders. The 8 lap 40km bike leg features a 400m hill on each lap with a 12% gradient which is where the damage may be done.
Cycling Coach Tommy Evans has been preparing Morrison for the cycling element with hill repeats of Scarva Hill in Co. Down.
“Tommy has been pushing me to my limits. We do the 6 hills of Scarva, one short 3-4minute rep followed by 9 minutes up Scarva hill repeated 3 times. All are near enough as fast as possible.” commented Morrison.
Meanwhile Noble and the men will race on Sunday 27th. Noble’s position looks somewhat more secure after results from the San Diego leg of the World Triathlon Series favoured him. He currently lies 44th with the top 55 to qualify making it unlikely he could be passed at the final hurdle.
“Gavin is looking to defend his ranking and continue building his fitness over the next few months.” commented High Performance Director Chris Jones.
Competition in the men’s race is equally as tough with all but the injured Alistair Brownlee lining up. Every position will be hard fought as it’s the final opportunity to secure qualification and impress selectors.
