Joining an all-star line-up next month in London at the supertri E World Triathlon Championships, Katie Zaferes will continue her bid to qualify for Paris by debuting over the hybrid racing format.
The Olympic medalist, who is battling the likes of Gwen Jorgensen and Taylor Spivey for a spot on Team USA in Paris this summer, will be looking to boost her standing in the Olympic Rankings.
Tackling the multi-award winning format that combines real life and virtual racing, Zaferes will battle it out for a world title with some of the main medal contenders in Paris on April 13.
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The 34-year-old will join an incredible women’s field in the British capital next month, with WTCS Champion Beth Potter already confirmed for the event at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Other notable starters include Cassandre Beaugrand, the leading French star, who is seen as one of the home nations brightest hopes for the gold medal in Paris this summer.
Vicky Holland, who will go head-to-head with Zaferes in Hong Kong this weekend, is another athlete who has already been announced. Like Zaferes, the Brit returned from childbirth to race last season.
Finally, teenage phenom Fanni Szalai, the 16-year-old powerhouse from Hungary, returns to racing in London after bursting on to the scene last year at the Arena Games in Switzerland.
What is the supertri E World Triathlon Championships?
For those unfamiliar with the concept of supertri E racing, the format consists of the traditional swim, bike and run legs of a triathlon, but with an exciting twist.
Swimming indoors, athletes compete in a pool, before climbing aboard their bikes and racing the bike leg on Zwift, with the racing unfolding on a virtual environment.
On to the run, athletes again compete in the Zwift virtual racing world, running on a treadmill connected to the platform.
In London, the professionals will race over heats and finals. The heats will consist of two stages of swim, bike, run with a short break between them and a pursuit start for stage two.
The finals will be the full supertri E World Triathlon Championship format (Swim – Bike – Run // Run – Bike – Swim // Swim – Bike – Run) with a pursuit start in stage three.
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