At the end of July – the weekend of Jul. 23-24 to be exact – we will see some of the best triathletes in the world battle at the inaugural PTO Canadian Open. With Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, Norway’s Gustav Iden and Canada’s Lionel Sander’s the top three of the PTO World Ranking has already confirmed to be present. They are definitely not the only star athletes who will be heading to Edmonton, though. Also, Patrick Lange, Joe Skipper, Sebastian Kienle and Daniel Baekkeard will toe the line. Check out the full start list down below.
“What a way to start what is going to be the greatest season of all time”, Lionel Sanders commented. “Big events, the best athletes and larger prize purses bring people to the table. That’s part of what has been the issue in the sport. We’ve been fighting for scraps. What we are doing with the PTO has the potential to bring about a truly golden era for longer distance triathlon – we’ve got the right athletes, a dedicated team and committed investors all behind us. This is the beginning of what can become a bona fide professional circuit comparable to other sports”, Sanders says about the PTO.
| Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) | Frederic Funk (GER) |
| Gustav Iden (NOR) | David McNamee (GBR) |
| Lionel Sanders (CAN) | Matt Trautman (ZAF) |
| Daniel Baekkegard (DNK) | Sebastian Kienle (GER) |
| Patrick Lange (GER) | Bradley Weiss (ZAF) |
| Magnus Elbæk Ditlev (GER) | Bart Aernouts (BEL) |
| Joe Skipper (GBR) | Miki Moerck Taagholt (DNK) |
| Jackson Laundry (CAN) | Collin Chartier (USA) |
| Ben Kanute (USA) | Thomas Steger (AUT) |
| Sam Laidlow (FRA) | Tim Van Berkel (AUS) |
| Rudy Von Berg (USA) | Filipe Azevedo (PRT) |
| Matt Hanson (USA) | Andrew Starykowicz (USA) |
| Kristian Hogenhaug (DNK) | Clement Mignon (FRA) |
| Samuel Appleton (AUS) | Pablo Dapena Gonzalez (ESP) |
| Kyle Smith (NZL) | Eric Lagerstrom (USA) |
| Jason West (USA) |
