Africa Triathlon

It’s that time of the year again, to take a step back in time to remember this year’s Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series through the eyes of some of the world’s best sports photographers. They were on hand to capture every twist, turn, and colourful moment in the each and every world series race, but now it’s your turn to decide the official ITU Photo of the Year. This competition will look at each of the eight races this season – Sydney, Madrid, Kitzbühel, Hamburg, London, Lausanne, the Beijing Grand Final and Yokohama. You will have the chance to vote on a selection of images from these races and each weekly winner then earns the right to appear in the ITU Photo of the Year final. In addition to the contest, readers will hear from each event photographer about their favourite shot from the event. This will be published alongside the winning pictures from each week. Whether you are an avid photographer yourself, or simply an admirer of pretty composition, it’s a great way to hear the story behind some amazing images.

This week, we take a trip to the beautiful Austrian alps and the tiny town of Kitzbühel. Once known mainly for its tough ski runs in winter, it’s now a triathlon hub in summer when the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series rolls into town. The beautiful backdrop of the town and Austrian countryside plays a big part in this week’s images from photographer Delly Carr.

In the men’s race, Alistair Brownlee led from start to finish in a wet, cold and rainy day for his second consecutive win, with Russia’s big man Alexander Brukhankov claiming his first series medal of 2011 with silver and Sven Riederer his second bronze. The Swiss athlete showed he revels in wet conditions, after he also ran into bronze in the season opener in Sydney. The other big news in this race was the return of Australia’s Chris McCormack, ‘Macca’ won an ITU World Championship in 1997 but launched a comeback here with an aim of getting a spot in London. Click here for the race recap and video highlights.

In the women’s race, Paula Findlay might have claimed her third win in a row but this one was closer than it seemed. She revealed afterwards she thought Helen Jenkins had her in the final few hundred metres before finding that extra gear to win three from three. While those two had been clear for most of the run, it was a thrilling battle for bronze and Sarah Groff‘s first series medal was also a milestone for the USA. Groff was the first American woman to win a place on the Dextro Energy Triathlon Series podium since it started in 2009. Click here for the race recap and video highlights.

Remember to scroll to the bottom of the images and vote for your favourite, to determine which image from Kitzbühel makes it into the final of the 2011 ITU Photo of The Year.