Triathlon: Star-studded cast for Auckland

Both Jonathan and Alistair Bownlee, along with Javier Gomez, will be competing at next month's Auckland Triathlon. Photo / Getty

Auckland's streets will soon be graced by the world's best triathletes, with 35 of the sport's top 40 set to attend next month's World Triathlon Series opener.

Both Olympic gold medallists, both defending world champions and, for the first time in Auckland, both Brownlie brothers will all take the start line to form a truly international-quality field at the annual event.

The field is an endorsement of not only the race and venue but the growing calendar of top-level events and training options available in the New Zealand summer, where many teams and athletes base themselves to prepare for the 2014 season.

The start list resembles a World Triathlon Series grand final or an Olympic Games, with the likes of Javier Gomez (world No 1), Jonathan Brownlee (2), Mario Mola (3), Laurent Vidal (7) and Alistair Brownlee (8) featuring in the men's race.

And the women's field is no less impressive, headed by current No 1 Anne Haug, along with Jodie Stimpson (2), Gwen Jorgensen (3), Non Stanford (4) and New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt (5).

Tri NZ boss Craig Waugh was delighted with that field and the continued recognition of New Zealand as a major player in the triathlon world.

"I can't think of any other sporting event on the New Zealand calendar that attracts this level of the world's best talent to our shores," he said. "This will be stunning - by opening our doors to the best triathletes on the planet we will showcase Auckland to the world.

"What shouldn't be lost in this also is the large number of international visitors to our shores in the form of the athletes, supporters and fans of the sport, all of whom contribute to the local and national economies."

As well as boasting the leading names in the sport, the World Triathlon Auckland will play host to the Tri NZ national standard distance championships, attracting the best age group triathletes in the country chasing spots on the Edmonton World Championships team.

And with numerous events for beginners and social participants, hundreds of New Zealanders are expected to take part in the weekend and rub shoulders with the best in the world.

"These fields promise to be better even than 2012 when we hosted the World Triathlon Series grand final," said Dave Beeche, chief executive of event delivery partner Lagardere Unlimited. "The thought of Gomez and Mola battling the Brownlees and the leading Kiwis on the Auckland waterfront on a testing and spectator-friendly course is mouth-watering.

"So too the battle between the Brits Stanford and Stimpson against Gwen Jorgensen, Anne Haug and of course our own Andrea Hewitt in the women's."