KEY POINTS:
Sam Warriner and Bevan Docherty will head the challenge in this weekend's world championships in Vancouver.
New Zealand will be well-represented, from elite men and women through to a 110-strong age group team, with racing starting tomorrow for the juniors to the elite category on Monday.
It's the
toughest field the New Zealand elite group will face since the New Plymouth leg of the world series in April as elite athletes start to fine-tune for the Beijing Olympics in August.
However, conditions will be starkly different to the warm and humid Beijing, with temperatures expected to be around 15C and the water temperatures a couple of degrees colder, not unusual racing conditions for New Zealanders.
Warriner is coming off a heavy training schedule at Penticton (Canada) where she has trained with Canadian representative Jill Savege.
"I have just completed my last hard sessions this past weekend," Warriner said.
"This will be the first time I will actually go into a race in 2008 with a taper.
"I'm fit although obviously I'm aiming to peak in August for the Olympics. I have done no speed work so I'm probably at about 80 per cent race speed at the moment."
Warriner does not have a great track record at world championships, with a best of just 11th - something she is keen to improve this weekend.
"I am in great shape and know that I have trained as hard as I can, so anything is possible.
"The biggest challenge for me will be keeping mentally strong and in control when race distractions arise.
"That's why we are using this event to fine-tune my preparations for Beijing."
Warriner will have a strong New Zealand group for company - Andrea Hewitt, Debbie Tanner, Nicky Samuels and Evelyn Williamson - among them. Docherty, for now, is the sole New Zealander in the elite men's field but may yet be joined by Clark Ellice.
Ellice is fourth on the alternate list and will have to wait until the race briefing on Saturday morning to hear if he has made the field.
Olympians Shane Reed and Kris Gemmell have decided to miss Vancouver, preferring to continue with their training and racing programme with Beijing in mind.
Martin van Barneveld, Tony Dodds, Ryan Sissons and Ben Visser have all entered Monday morning's under-23 race.
Van Barneveld, 22, has been training at altitude in Colorado.
"I can't wait to feel the benefit [of altitude training] and to put all this hard training into a race," he said.
The women's under-23 race will feature Anna Elvery, Julia Grant and Jacqui Seebold.
- NZPA