Australian triathlete Ryan Bailie will form part of a strong contingent racing this weekend at the Australian Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships in Devonport.
While the race in Tasmania is not a Commonwealth Games selection trial, it will serve as a warm up to the all-important ITU World Cup in Mooloolaba (March 15) and the ITU World Triathlon Series opener in Auckland (April 5).
The races in Mooloolaba and Auckland are seen as major selection races in the lead up to the Games in Glasgow later this year.
Australian selectors will be hoping to finalise the team for Glasgow towards the end of April, after the Auckland race.
“It will be a good hit out for those coming into Devonport for their first race of the season and others who will use it as another gauge for their bigger races around the corner,” said Triathlon Australia’s National Performance Director Bernard Savage.
“Things will start to hot up over the next month and they know there are only two places to fill with a lot of focus on the ITU World Cup in Mooloolaba and the first ITU race in Auckland.
Only two more places on the Australian Commonwealth Games men’s team can be awarded after Aaron Royle gained qualification last year. Bailie was Australia’s second ranked Australian on the 2013 ITU Rankings behind Royle last year and is tipped to gain qualification.