LONDON, July 25, 2010 - Laureus fundraisers joined the world's greatest triathletes in London's Hyde Park over the weekend of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship to raise funds to help improve the lives of young people around the world.
Spain's Javier Gomez and Canadian Paula Findlay won the men's and women's World Championship events, while more than 3,000 enthusiastic triathletes also competed, some of whom were running to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Among the competitors was a blue riband Laureus relay team which featured former All Blacks captain and Laureus World Sports Academy Member Sean Fitzpatrick, his fellow New Zealander Andrea Hewitt, who was fourth in the women's race and currently is second in the World Championship standings, and Sky TV sports presenter James Gemmell. Hewitt took the swimming leg, Fitzpatrick tackled the 40km bike ride and Gemmell ran the final 10kms.
Sean said: "Today has been fantastic, triathlon is a big sport in New Zealand and when I was playing rugby we did a few as part of our training, but I haven't done one in the last 20 years, so it was great to be involved again and raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
"My teammate, elite triathlete Andrea Hewitt provided a fantastic start in the swim, although I think we slipped down in the rankings as the race went on! I really enjoyed the cycle though, and the crowd were really supportive. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to compete on the 2012 Olympic course.
"Alongside our relay team, Laureus had a group of fundraisers competing today, which will provide the Sport for Good Foundation with additional funds to help benefit our sports projects all over the world. I would love to be back in Hyde Park next year and join an even bigger group of Laureus triathletes."
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is the official Global Charity Partner of the International Triathlon Union and fields teams of Laureus fund-raisers in the principal triathlons of the summer.
Also in Hyde Park to cheer on the Laureus competitiors was Laureus Academy Member Daley Thompson, himself a multi-discipline athlete, who won Olympic decathlon gold in both 1980 and 1984. He said: "I've been here since 7.30 this morning supporting my friends. I've never attempted a triathlon, it looks too hard and takes so much dedication."
Last week with the help of Olympic champions Jan Frodeno, Emma Snowsill and Simon Whitfield, and para-triathlete Jane Egan, Laureus launched the Midnight Basketball League in Lambeth, a project which aims to keep young people off the streets and on the basketball court and out of trouble.
Daley said: "What we're trying to do is use sport as an instrument for social change. We try to get kids off the street by giving them places to play and getting people to coach them."
London was the fifth of seven World Championship races and Javier Gomez' victory, ahead of Britain's Jonathan Brownlee and Russia's Alexander Brukhankov, leaves him second in the overall standings behind Germany's Olympic champion Jan Frodeno.
Gomez said: "I'm really happy, really proud. We were running pretty fast the whole time. I felt really good last weekend in Hamburg, I recovered well after that, and I'm flying. I'm really happy."
Paula Findlay won the women's race ahead of Switzerland's Nicola Spirig and Britain's Helen Jenkins. Currently Australia's Emma Moffatt leads the overall standings ahead of New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt and Chile's Barbara Riveros Diaz.
Laureus still has places left in the triathlons at Kitzbuhel (August 14 &15) and Budapest (September 11 & 12). For further information please visit http://www.laureus.com/get-involved/triathlons
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