The 2010 ITU World Championship Series is set to kick-off this weekend in Australia. Triathlon returns to Sydney Harbour, site of the first Olympic Triathlon in 2000. With the impressive backdrop of Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and city skyline, Australia's largest city will provide a spectacular start to the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series. Local support will rest firmly on defending world champion Emma Moffatt whom will be looking to kick off the 2010 season with a win on home turf.
UPDATE: Home town favorite Courtney Atkinson has just pulled out of this weekend's race "My recovery from the Mooloolaba World Cup wasn't as good as expected and I had some unexpected complications ongoing from the illness I was carrying."` Reigning Olympic champion Emma Snowsill will also miss the opening round of the ITU World Championship Series on her home turf. She's been recovering from a recent virus and from hip surgery late last year.
The Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series was introduced in 2009, creating a series of world championship races rather than a single day world championship. There will be seven stops throughout the 2010 season, culminating with the Grand Final in Budapest. The world's top triathletes will compete head-to-head, featuring a live international TV feed from every event. A total of $2.85 million USD will be available for athletes racing the World Championship and World Cup Series.
2010 Series Schedule
| Series Race | Location | Date |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series | Sydney, Australia | April 11, 2010 |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series | Seoul, Korea | May 8-9, 2010 |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series | Madrid, Spain | June 5-6, 2010 |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series | Hamburg, Germany | July 17-18, 2010 |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series | London, United Kingdom | July 24-25, 2010 |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series | Kitzbühel, Austria | August 14-15, 2010 |
| Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Grand Final | Budapest, Hungary | September 8-12, 2010 |
New for the 2010 Season
• For the first time ever ITU athletes will have the opportunity to compete in a prime league throughout the 2010 season. Athletes will accrue points at each event based on their swim, bike and run splits, and the top three athletes in each discipline will get a share of the $60,000 bonus prime.
• Athletes will only be able to score points from a maximum of three races on the same continent, excluding the Grand Final.
2009 Rankings
| 2009 Top Men Ranking | Country | Rank |
2009 Top Women Ranking | Country |
| Alistair Brownlee | Great Britain | 1 |
Emma Moffatt | Australia |
| Javier Gomez | Spain | 2 |
Lisa Nordén | Sweden |
| Maik Petzold | Germany | 3 |
Andrea Hewitt | New Zealand |
| Jan Frodeno | Germany | 4 |
Daniela Ryf | Switzerland |
| Steffen Justus | Germany | 5 |
Helen Jenkins | Great Britain |
The top contenders from the United State based on last years ranking are Sarah Haskins (6th) and Jarrod Shoemaker (10th).
Event info
All seven Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series events will be Olympic distance races for the Elite competitors. An Olympic-distance triathlon also referred to as an intermediate or standard distance triathlon combines a 1.5-km swim, a 40-km bike ride and a 10-km run.
Prize Money
Each Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series event will offer a $150,000 prize purse. The Grand Final will offer a $250,000 in total winnings. The ITU Triathlon World Champions will be declared at the end of the series according to the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series ranking. The year-end bonus pool of $250,000 will also be awarded at the end of the series after the Grand Final.
Fro additional information on the ITU World Championship Series visit: wcs.triathlon.org
