Triathlon Federation Chief Satisfied with London 2012 Test Event
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Torrential rains did not dampen the spirits of Olympic hopefuls in London.
The International Triathlon Union president tells Around the Rings that London’s iconic backdrop is the most important aspect of the competition at next summer’s Olympics.
“It’s very important to have a visual backdrop,” Marisol Casado told ATR.
“For us, we really like to race in the centre of the city. This is not a stadium, we are in the street, we are in the park… if they technically make a good course we are very happy with this.”
She was speaking with ATR at the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championships Series in Hyde Park Sunday where torrential rain caused some problems underfoot for athletes but could not dampen the spirits of the hundreds of spectators lining the course.
Hyde Park is part of the Olympic triathlon course, which saw racing through the Wellington Memorial, down Constitution Hill and around Buckingham Palace, offering iconic backgrounds for all of the weekend action.
After the women’s event on Saturday morning, there were some complaints about the surface of the course.
Emma Snowsill, who came fifth in the women’s event, voiced her complaints about the race course to Australia’s Herald Sun, saying: “I don’t really think it is Olympic standard. I think it is a bit too higgledy piggledy… lots of uneven surfaces.
Read more: Around the Rings