US Athletes Set for Saturday’s ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships

Coloradans Brian Smith, Mike Kloser Competing

USA Triathlon

March 23, 2011 (Colorado Springs, CO) – With 2011 winter triathlon national champion Emma Garrard leading the way, a group of ten Americans is set to compete Saturday at the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships in Jamijarvi, Finland.

Garrard (Park City, Utah) is one of four U.S. elites scheduled to race this weekend in the 6-kilometer run, 11.4-kilometer mountain bike and 10-kilometer cross-country ski event. She was the women’s elite winner at the Jan. 15 USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon National Championship in Midway, Utah, and has posted top-10 finishes at the past two ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships. Garrard finished fifth at last weekend’s Winter Triathlon European Championships in Ostersund, Sweden.

Najeeby Quinn (Anchorage, Alaska) will make her world championship debut after finishing fourth at nationals. She is the sister of 2010 winter triathlon world champion Rebecca Dussault (Gunnison, Colo.), who is not competing after recently having a child.

Veterans Brian Smith (Gunnison, Colo.) and Mike Kloser (Vail, Colo.) will represent the U.S. in the men’s elite race after finishing second and fourth, respectively, at nationals. Smith owns back-to-back 12th-place finishes at the world championship, while Kloser is competing in his fifth world championship with a top finish of 15th in 2009.

Kloser’s son, Christian Kloser (Vail, Colo.) will compete in the junior men’s event for the second straight year. He was eighth overall as an 18-year-old at winter nationals earlier this year.

Five U.S. age-groupers are also slated to chase world titles in Finland: Bill Billingsley (55-59, Sandy, Utah), Darcy Foley (30-34, Sturbridge, Mass.), Nicole Freedman (35-39, Boston, Mass.), Anna Milkowski (35-39, Andover, Mass.) and Bruce Rahmig (40-44, Denver, Colo.)