New Zealand Olympian Sam Warriner will be competing for the Queen of the Lake series title, part of the Blue Lake Multisport Festival, on the weekend. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
New Zealand Olympian Sam Warriner will be competing for the Queen of the Lake series title, part of the Blue Lake Multisport Festival, on the weekend. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Rotorua's Blue Lake Multisport Festival will see major icons of triathlon competing for the top titles over the weekend.
New Zealand's Bryan Rhodes, who has been on the international triathlon scene since 1990, and Olympian Sam Warriner will be aiming to take home the King and Queen of the Lake seriestitles respectively.
The top athletes will compete in the three-race series - an aquathon and 2km open water on Saturday followed by a triathlon on Sunday.
Taupo's Warriner competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was the ITU World Champion in 2008 and Ironman New Zealand winner in 2011.
Warriner is looking to go one better than her second place series finishes in 2014 and 2015 this weekend.
"I love this festival and would encourage people to enter. There is something for everyone in a beautiful location. I am really looking forward to coming back this year," Warriner said.
Rhodes, 43, meanwhile, will be looking to produce the same form that won him the series title in the men's field twice in the early 2000s.
Experienced New Zealand triathlete Bryan Rhodes will compete for the King of the Lake series title, part of the Blue Lake Multisport Festival, on the weekend. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Rhodes, who has recently relocated to Cambridge to train with the local high performance squad, said his experience could give him an "extra edge against the young guns".
"I think my experience should definitely help. It's one of those weekends that you have to push yourself through. It's amazing how hard you can actually push your body and I know what you need to put yourself through to do well," Rhodes said.
"I always race to win. It's good to compete against the young guns but I don't really know what to expect because I'm not sure on the rest of the field, I'm just focusing on my own race.
"My strong point will be the swimming, it's been going very well recently and mixed in with the young competitors will make me lift my game."
Rhodes added he would use the local competition as a stepping stone for the rest of the season in his last year of competitive racing.
"I want to go out on a high note so this year I'm entering all my favourite events," Rhodes said.
"This in particular is a great one - you need more small local triathlons and series like these so I hope the community comes out to support it.
"It would be great to podium and build on that for the Ironman New Zealand later in the season."
Race director and president of Rotorua Association of Triathletes Graham Perks said he was delighted with the inclusion of Rhodes and Warriner.
"To have two athletes with the history and calibre of Bryan and Sam enter our club event is awesome. We know anyone who does this event once loves it and is always keen to come back," he said.
"We have a wonderful range of events and encourage people to enter and mix it up with some true icons of New Zealand triathlon."
