The World Triathlon Championship Finals is coming to Abu Dhabi's Yas Island from 23 - 26 November 2022.
The Championship Finals is the crown jewel of World Triathlon’s annual calendar. The multi-day triathlon festival is expected to welcome thousands of local, regional and international triathletes to the UAE's capital city, and will see World Champions crowned across both Elite, Para and Age Group race categories.
Previous hosts include London, Budapest, Beijing, Auckland, Chicago, Gold Coast, Lausanne and Edmonton, with the 2022 race planned in Abu Dhabi for the first time.
Thousands of triathletes will be travelling to the iconic Yas Island to compete across five categories: Elite Men & Women; Elite U23 Men & Women; Elite Para Men & Women; Age Group Men & Women (super sprint time trial distance, standard distance, and aqua bike); and the Community and Youth Races.
With Australia sending one of its most experienced Elite and Para teams ever after a busy 2022 return to racing, here’s your guide to all the action in Abu Dhabi.
Australian Women's and Men's Paratriathlon Team
The Australian Paratriathlon representatives include a breadth of veteran and up and coming talent. With four Paralympians, five Commonwealth Games representatives and seven 2022 World Para Series medallists there is a lot to anticipate come the World Triathlon Para Championship racing on Thursday.
Superstar Lauren Parker, two-time World and defending champion, Paralympic silver medallist and Ironman World Champion will spearhead the team. Parker has climbed just about every mountain in a stellar career and the title of three-time world champion awaits the 33-year-old from Newcastle who will again line up against US Paralympic champion Kendall Gretsch.
The Australian Para team also includes the 44-year-old from WA, Sally Pilbeam – a two-time World Champion from 2014 and 2015 who is back after two years in retirement – and 38-year-old four-time WPS Para gold medallist Justin Godfrey, with his eyes on Paris.
For the first time ever, we will also see the Open Paratriathlon Mixed Relay on the international stage. Australia will field two teams for the momentous event taking place this Saturday. Teams are composed of four athletes (two men and two women) with the first leg of the relay completed by a PTWC athlete. The Para Mixed Relay Sport Class Point (PMRSCP) table will be used when forming each team. Each sport class is assigned to a point value according to the table, with teams composed of athletes from sports classes with a combined point value of a maximum of 20. This is an exciting moment in Paratriathlon history that Australia is excited and proud to be part of.
Team List
Lauren Parker (PTWC)
Sara Tait (PTWC)
Anu Francis (PTS2)
Sally Pilbeam (PTS4)
Nic Beveridge (PTWC)
Glen Jarvis (PTS2)
Justin Godfrey (PTS3)
Liam Twomey (PTS4)
Jeremy Peacock (PTS4)
David Bryant (PTS5)
Jonathan Goerlach (PTVI) & Guide Harry Wiles
Jack Howell (PTS5)
Sam Harding (PTVI) & Guide Luke Harvey
Australian Women's and Men's U23 Team
In the Australian U23 Team, NSW’s Matilda Offord and QLD’s Ellie Hoitink will be repping the green and gold after both gaining automatic selection to the U23 team for outstanding performances earlier this year at the Mooloolaba Triathlon Oceania Cup. With Offord and Hoitink making their World Triathlon Championships Series and World Triathlon Cup debuts respectively throughout the 2022 season, they are ready to make an impact on Friday.
Flying the Australian flag on the men’s side, we will see WA’s Wollongong-based Luke Bate and VIC’s, Brisbane-based Oscar Dart. With the pair frequenting events on the World Triathlon Cup circuit this season and Bate making his World Triathlon Championships Series debut in Yokohama earlier this year, they are ready to push the pace.
Team List
Matilda Offord
Ellie Hoitink
Luke Bate
Oscar Dart
Australian Women's and Men's Elite Team
Among the nine Australian Elite team members will be four Olympians with eight of the nine having represented Australia at a Commonwealth Games – six of them in Birmingham earlier this year.
Natalie Van Coevorden and Charlotte McShane will be lining up for their 11th World Championship Final (eighth and seventh as an Elite respectively), with Van Coevorden donning the green and gold as the Australia’s highest ranked female in the WTCS standings.
Alongside McShane and Van Coevorden will be Olympians Emma Jackson (London 2012) in her 13th World Championship start (eighth as an Elite) and Jaz Hedgeland (Tokyo 2020), as well as World Championship rookie Sophie Linn, who made her Games debut at this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Olympian and two-time Commonwealth Games representative and a bronze medallist, Matt Hauser, will enter the World Triathlon Series Grand Final as Australia’s highest ranked male Elite (currently sitting in 10th place on the leader board). 2022 will be Hauser's first time in the Elite ranks having attended five World Championship Grand Finals – three as a Junior and two as an Under 23 – winning the Junior crown in 2017 and finishing third in the under 23s last year in Edmonton.
Another experienced competitor, Olympian and Commonwealth Games representative Jake Birtwhistle will be Hauser will be joined on the men’s elite team by his Olympic and Commonwealth Games teammate Jake Birtwhistle, the 2015 Under 23 world champion in Chicago, will be representing Australia in his ninth team and his sixth as an Elite.
Alongside Hauser and Birtwhistle will be Commonwealth Games representatives Brandon Copeland (Birmingham 2022) after his Elite World Championships debut in Edmonton last year, and Luke Willian (Gold Coast 2018)
Team List
Natalie Van Coevorden
Charlotte McShane
Jaz Hedgeland
Sophie Linn
Emma Jackson
Matt Hauser
Brandon Copeland
Jake Birtwhistle
Luke Willian
Australian Women's and Men's Age Group Team
A total of 45 National Federations have been confirmed to compete in this week's World Triathlon Championship Finals 2022 Age Group races in Abu Dhabi, with the Australian contingent surpassing 80 athletes.
Being hosted for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the Age Group World Championships will feature participants from all around the world, competing across different age categories in three World Championship events; Super Sprint, Standard Distance Triathlon and Aquabike.
Fun facts about some of the Australian Age Group Team:
- Eight athletes will be backing up from the 2022 World Triathlon Age Group Sprint Distance Triathlon World Championships which were held in Montreal, Canada in June.
- Rowland Cook will be trying to go one better in Abu Dhabi after claiming a silver medal at the 2022 World Triathlon Age Group Aquabike World Championships which were held in Slovakia in August 2022.
- Richard Burnell will be competing at his 12th Age Group World Championships. Richard has previously competed on 11 Australian Age Group Teams including 2007 Hamburg, 2008 Edmonton, 2009 Perth, 2010 Budapest, 2013 London, 2014 Edmonton, 2015 Chicago, 2015 Adelaide, 2017 Rotterdam, 2018 Gold Coast and 2019 Lausanne.
- Four Australian technical officials have been chosen to officiate at the Abu Dhabi event including Frank Stapleton, Michael Wise, Sue Fairweather and Gaye McKean.
- William Winter will be our oldest competitor. William will be competing in the 80-84 male age group category in the Standard Distance Triathlon event. William has competed on six previous Australian Age Group Teams.
- Frank McShane will be competing in the 60-64 male age group Standard Distance Triathlon while his daughter Charlotte McShane will be competing in the Elite female event on Friday.
- Matthew Pilbeam will be competing in the 40-44 male age group Standard Distance Aquabike event while his wife Sally Pilbeam will be returning to elite competition after two years of retirement to compete on the Australian Paratriathlon team.
- Brothers Ben, Jake and Sam Russell will be competing in the 30-34 male age group category in the Standard Distance Triathlon event.
Team List
View all 80 + Australian Age Group Team Members across three disciplines here >>
Racing Schedule
Thursday
- World Triathlon Para Championships (All classifications)
2:00pm – 6:30pm AEST | 8:00am – 12:30pm Local Time
- World Triathlon Age-Group Super Sprint Championships
From 6:45pm AEST | From 12:45pm Local Time
Friday
- World Triathlon U23 Women’s Championships
1:30pm – 3:30pm AEST | 7:30am – 9:30am Local Time
- World Triathlon U23 Men’s Championships
4:15pm - 6:15pm AEST | 10:15am – 12:15pm Local Time
- World Triathlon Elite Women’s Championships
7:06pm – 9:06pm AEST | 1:06pm – 3:06pm Local Time
Saturday
- World Triathlon Open Paratriathlon Mixed Relay
1:15pm – 2:45pm AEST | 7:15am – 8:45am Local Time
- World Triathlon Age-Group Standard Distance Triathlon Championships
From 2:45pm AEST | From 8:45am Local Time
- World Triathlon Age-Group Aquabike Championships
From 4:00pm AEST | From 10:00am Local Time
- World Triathlon Elite Men’s Championships
9:06pm – 11:00pm AEST | 3:05pm - 5:00pm Local Time
How to Watch – Live Coverage from World Triathlon
Para and Elite races will be available to stream live and on demand on TriathlonLIVE.TV
You can sign up for a monthly pass to watch the Para and Elite races with a special 20% discount.
To redeem this offer, use the code: FINALS22 here >>
Live timing will also be available at triathlon.org/timing
Age Group Specifics:
For family, friends and supporters of the Australian Age Group Team, visit our Age Group team Facebook Page for up-to-date information on the how the team is going.
Age Group races will be available to stream for FREE. Start, Transition and Finish Cameras will be individually streamed. Check in with your competitors to know what time to expect to see them!
Social Media
Triathlon Australia will provide intermittent updates, racing previews and racing recaps over the next week. Stay up to date by following along and supporting into our Facebook and Instagram.
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