Africa Triathlon

Australia’s Emma Snowsill has withdrawn from the 2011 Mooloolaba ITU World Cup just days out from the season opener due to an injury precaution.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic champion is frustrated at the news but buoyed by the fact it is only a minor foot injury and that she will be ready for the opening round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Sydney on April 10.

Snowsill has been getting treatment in the last week and was advised not to run in an attempt to get it right before Mooloolaba although it hasn’t affected her swimming or cycling.

“It’s really a precautionary measure not to compete this weekend.  Although I’m eager to race again I have to resist the temptation and think of the bigger picture,” she said. “The complaint is a minor one with some inflamation in my heel. I made the decision not to race with my coach and physio to give my ankle the best chance to completely heal.”

Mooloolaba has been a good omen for Snowsill in previous years, her epic battle with Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandes in 2008 will long be remembered, but withdrew following discussions with Triathlon Australia and AIS Head Coach Shaun Stephens.

“I saw Emma last week and she complained of a minor heel complaint and Triathlon Australia is certainly fully supportive of her decision to withdraw from Mooloolaba,” Stephens said. “Triathlon is a very demanding sport these days and when you have Olympic selection on top of everything else, you can’t afford to take any chances. We are encouraging all of our athletes to get on top of all these niggles early and not to exacerbate any of their injuries so they are ready to race throughout the World Championship Series.

“It is quite a minor injury; the kind of thing that can be aggravated by running up hills and Mooloolaba is quite a demanding course and at this stage we don’t want to flare it up. I don’t see it being a major impact in terms of her Championship season; the only thing is that she will go into Sydney without having a race under her belt; she’ll be a little underdone. But in saying that it might also be a good thing because it is going to a long, tough year and it is important that Emma is ready to perform when it counts.”

Snowsill will still travel to Mooloolaba, which is just up the road from her Noosa base on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, to take in the first World Cup of the season as a spectator.

The women’s field is still a very strong one even with the reigning Olympic champion out of the field, with two-time world champion Emma Moffatt and her ITU Gold Group colleagues Kate Roberts, Paula Findlay and Lisa Norden just the start.

Mooloolaba is the first ITU World Cup for season 2011, with the men’s race on Saturday March 26 and the women’s race on Sunday March 27.