Ryan Bailie will compete in the final World Triathlon Series race of the season later today in Edmonton, Canada.
Bailie, 24, has enjoyed a breakout year on the ITU Triathlon circuit with two Top 10 World Series finishes.
In the first race of the season Bailie finished 5th in Auckland and then placed 7th in a thrilling London sprint race.
“It’s been a solid season for me. I have enjoyed it but I’m looking for even more consistency across the year,” Bailie said.
“Obviously we had the Commonwealth Games which meant I didn’t race Stockholm so I’m looking forward to the final hit out of the season in Edmonton.”
Last month, Bailie finished 5th in the Commonwealth Games Men’s Triathlon race and then produced a stirring anchor leg to help Australia secure Bronze in the Team Relay.
The West Australian currently sits 12th in the ITU world rankings which is calculated by adding the points gained in the Grand Final race plus the 5 best scores in the ITU World Triathlon Series events and the ITU Triathlon World Cup events.
With a strong showing in the Grand Final race on the weekend, Bailie could finish the season inside the Top 10.
Australia’s National Performance Director Bernard Savage is excited about the performances that Bailie and the rest of the Australian Elite men have produced this year.
“I’m proud of the way the boys have raced this year,” Savage said.
“But realistically I know and they know that if we can get a couple in the top ten in this field with the Brownlee brothers, Gomez and Mola and a host of others this is a red hot men’s field.
“I doubt there is another Olympic sport where two boys like the Bownlees and Gomez who are so dominant.
“But our lads are not scared of getting in and racing them; they don’t fear them; they just have to stick to their own race strategies, their own plans and ensure they are up in that front pack in the swim, ride well and be ready to race off the bike.”
In a busy weekend of racing in Edmonton, the Elite men’s individual race is scheduled for 12 noon local time on Sunday (04.00am AEST, Monday).
Race updates will be posted via the Sam Maxwell Sports Management Twitter Account.