Naturland will host from the 3rd to the 6th of February, for the second consecutive year, the World Triathlon Winter Championships, and for the first time the World Duathlon Winter Championships. During the official presentation that took place on Monday afternoon at the Centre Cultural i de Congressos Lauredià, the Organization announced that they expect the arrival of over 250 athletes from 14 countries, for a race where the discipline´s best athletes will complete to win world titles in the elite, Under-23, junior and para-athletes categories.
In this sense, the Minister for Presidency, Economy and Enterprise for the Government of Andorra, Jordi Gallardo stated that “the event, organized by the Ironman Group, returns to Andorra after the previous edition´s success and having overcome all of the obstacles generated by the pandemic. We are sure that this year´s economic return for the parish and the country will be even greater (the organization expects a return of around 390.000 euros). It will also include a number of novelties, making the event even more spectacular, not only for the athletes but also the spectators, who will be able to enjoy a sporting event of the highest level”.
In addition, the Mayor of Sant Julià de Lòria, Josep Majoral, explained that “with a renovated project with regards to programmed activities in both winter and summer, Naturland will once again host, at 2000 metres altitude, a hard race demanding the athletes´ maximum effort. I believe last year´s success, despite the difficult conditions brought about by the pandemic, was the key factor for the International Triathlon Union to trust in our installations once again”.
The most notable novelty is the new format under which the races will be carried out, the Elite, Under-23 and Junior athletes will complete the 8km foot race, the 14 on MTB and the 12 of cross-country skiing. However, they will do so in 5 transitions, two laps of each section, meaning the athletes will start with a complete lap of the circuit beginning with the foot race, to then jump on their bikes and continue with cross-country skiing. Once the first lap has been completed the athletes leave their skis to start the circuit again with the foot race, these modifications will not affect the races of age groups or the para-athletes.
Another novelty in this second edition are the changes in the relay races for mixt teams. Following the directives applied by the World Triathlon from the beginning of 2022, the order in which the races are carried out will be: man-woman-man-woman. The teams will have to complete two laps of the circuit of 1,1 km foot race, 2,2km on MTB and 2.2 cross-country skiing.
The World Triathlon Winter Duathlon Championships
IRONMAN Group´s regional director for Andorra, Spain, Italy and Portugal, Agustí Pérez, highlighted that this renewed edition will also host, for the first time, the world winter duathlon championships on the 3rd and 4th of February, also at Naturland.
The race can be followed live on Triathlon Live or on the website for Ràdio i Televisó d’Andorra and at the Germandat square in Sant Julià de Lòria where there will also be a giant screen broadcasting all the competitions.
