Pressure on Nicky Samuels to perform in 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU world series.

With selection for next year's London Olympics on the cards, the pressure is on Nicky Samuels to perform at this year's 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series.
The Wanaka-based 28-year-old, originally from Whangarei, is one of four likely female contenders to represent New Zealand in London.
Samuels, along with Andrew Hewitt, Debbie Tanner and Kate Mcilroy will be making sure they are noticed throughout this year's seven-race World Series, which got under way with race one in Sydney at the weekend.
"It is undecided whether we will get two or three [female team places] berths for London.
"It won't be decided until the end of the series. It depends on how many points the triathletes earn and your country's ranking," Samuels said.
For now, Samuels' job is to finish as high up in the field at each event throughout the series, and peak in time for race six in London during August, which is the first selection race for the 2012 Olympics.
"That's the main event everyone is targeting.
"Ideally I want to finish in the top eight, and be the first or second Kiwi across the line," she said.
While contesting a spot in the team added more pressure to her year, the full-time triathlete was taking it all in her stride.
"There is the added pressure of competing for a spot in the Olympics team but you are always pushing yourself in any race you are in ... plus you don't want to just get selected for the team.
"You want to go to the Olympics and do the job properly," she said.
Samuels had a dream start to her 2011 season when she won the Continental Cup Sprint Race race at Kinloch and then just three weeks in Queensland, she won her first ITU World Cup race since she started racing in the 2006 series.
The Mooloolaba course suited the strength-based athlete down to a tee.
"Ideally I like to swim in surf and Mooloolaba is the only World Cup race where you get that. The cycle was tough and hilly as was the run, which I prefer to the short, sharp, flat courses."
As with any sport, there are good days and bad days, and unfortunately for Samuels her first ITU World Series race in Sydney on Sunday did not go as well as her race two weeks beforehand.
Heading to Sydney with high expectations, Samuels finished a disappointing 28th up against a high-calibre international field.
"Two weeks between races should be enough time to recover properly ... but perhaps I still had a bit of Mooloolaba in my legs."
Next on Samuels busy calender this year is the second ITU World Series race in Yokohama, Japan, on April 17, if the event goes ahead following the earthquake and tsunami. A decision on the event will be made in the next few days.
Then she heads to a five-week training camp in Santa Cruz in the United States, with NZ triathlete Bevan Docherty and her coach Mike Elliot, before heading to Europe for the rest of the World Series.
Samuels is scheduled to race in all of World Series events, except for race three in Madrid, as she will be in the United States. Mooloolaba is the only World Cup race she planned to race in this year, she said.
While Wanaka is home for Samuels for five months of the year (she spends the rest in Europe), she still manages to travel north once or twice a year to touch base with family and friends, including her former Whangarei Girls High teacher and Ironman NZ champion Samantha Warriner, who encouraged Samuels to get involved in triathlon and watches her progress with keen interest.