Britain's most successful multi-sport athlete, Daley Thompson has signed up to act as team coach for the 25 fundraisers racing for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series event in Hyde Park, London, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July.
With Olympic distance places sold out and the Sprint distance field nearing capacity, demand for starting spots is high for the race which uniquely offers participants the chance to race over the London 2012 Olympic Games triathlon course. Having recently become the Global Charity Partner of the International Triathlon Union, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is able to offer 25 places to fundraisers.
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation will be calling on its celebrated sports stars to ensure that racing for the Laureus team is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the 25 triathletes, whether 'newbies' or seasoned campaigners.
Double Olympic decathlon gold medallist and founding member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, Thompson enjoys watching triathlon and is looking forward to fulfilling his duties as team coach. He said: "I'm looking forward to helping the guys along as best I can, but I hope they're not expecting any short-cuts. There are no magic exercises which I can give them to replace hard work - like everything in life, they will get out what they put in. That said, we'll try to have some fun along the way!
"I have followed triathlon with interest over the past few years and really enjoyed watching the competitions in Melbourne at the Commonwealth Games and at the Beijing Olympics," continued Thompson. "We're two years away from the London Games and we stand a good chance to be amongst the medals in triathlon. We've got the current men's world champion Alistair Brownlee and good strength in depth across both men and women. I'm really looking forward to the event in Hyde Park, and working with the Laureus team."
As well as scripting training tips for the Laureus team's race preparation, Thompson will be hosting a training day in Battersea in June for all team members and will be there on the race day itself for a pre-race briefing and to cheer along his charges.
For the Hyde Park race, each member of the Laureus team will be asked to raise a minimum of 500. Local project beneficiaries will include the London Active Communities Project in Lambeth, which is committed to the use and promotion of sports, arts and cultural activities in order to improve youth citizenship, social inclusion and community cohesion.
Anyone keen to join Daley's Laureus team fundraising effort should contact Campbell Gray at campbell.gray@laureus.com.
