The 2017 World Triathlon Series speeds up this weekend on Australia’s Gold Coast. Some of the athletes who will toe the startline for the sprint distance race spoke to the media on Thursday, including Andrea Hewitt, Charlotte McShane, Katie Zaferes, Javier Gomez Noya, Richard Murray and Ryan Bailie.

Andrea Hewitt (NZL)
On her win in Abu Dhabi:
“I hadn’t been on the top of the podium in a while, so it was nice in the first race of the season too, not knowing how the training had been going over the summer. Going from New Zealand to win in Abu Dhabi was a perfect start.”

On the longevity of her career:
“I just enjoy it, I enjoy the travelling and the racing. My first international race was in Australia, I came over to Australia and raced in the Coral Coast triathlon, it doesn’t feel that long ago though I have been going around for a while.”

On Triathlon New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games selection:
“The New Zealand standard is if I can get in the top six I can qualify for next year’s Commonwealth Games, so I look forward to competing for New Zealand again. The Commonwealth Games is a big race for New Zealand, I got third in Melbourne in 2006, I didn’t go as well as I wanted too - so I’d love to make up for that in Gold Coast.”

Charlotte McShane(AUS)
On the automatic selection opportunity at Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games:
“I guess my focus for this year, along with the other Australians, is to qualify for the Commonwealth Games. Everything I have done has been building up to this, so I’m excited to get out there. I’m going to try and not think about it as being the first Australian, because I still want to be better than everyone else on the start line, so I think it’s important not to get too caught up in that. At the end of the day, if you are the first Australian and you are 11th it doesn’t matter anyway, so the goal for me is to be in the best place I can finish.

On her experience moving up from underage racing to World Triathlon Series:
“I guess patience comes into a lot. It’s difficult and the girls are super tough. I think one of the hardest things when you are younger is trying to find that consistency, and that can be quite tough mentally. One week you might be ok and the next week not so good. So it’s just about finding that consistency, so I think I’m getting better at that and hopefully over the next few years I can improve.”

Katie Zaferes (USA)
On her month-long training stint on the Gold Coast:
“It’s been really great. We’ve been riding out to Springbrook, and also we got to go to Currumbin and saw the kangaroos and we also saw a koala, which is always a highlight of my trip here, if I see one koala per trip I’ll be excited. Besides that I just love the oceans here, I’m a water based person in general. So to be surrounded by the water makes me feel at peace and just really happy.”

On changing her perspective this year:
“I feel like when I’m doing my best is when I am appreciating everything around me, so it’s something I’m trying to get back to more this year. I felt like a lost a little last year. So just enjoying every location that we go too, it just makes training a lot more enjoyable and makes you feel lucky for the life that we get to live.”

On the strength of the American women’s team:
“I think it’s just based on chasing the best. Gwen Jorgensen set the bar so high and that was the bar, so we are all chasing the bar and just trying to be as good as her. I think that’s just what makes the US so good - is we have such a high place to go.”

Javier Gomez Noya (ESP)
On the longevity of his career:
“I still enjoy it. I’m still doing well. So why not, what else would I do that’s better than this?. I think the races are getting better, the rivalries are becoming stronger, faster, there are more sprint races - that I am not a big fan of, but these young kids are really fast at this kind of different racing. So it’s a challenge for me, I’m older and trying to get faster as well. I still enjoy it.”

On his next goals:
“I don’t really know. This year I want to do ITU World Triathlon Series and also 70.3 worlds and then after that I need to decide if I go for Tokyo [2020 Olympic Games] or if I set different goals.”

Richard Murray (RSA)
On the difference between Olympic distance and sprint:
“I think it’s more of a fast-twitch race than an Olympic distance race. So I think the small mistakes become bigger at Olympic distance than sprint distance, you can make a tiny little mistake in transition when you changing shoes or going out on the bike, or on the run, you can miss the bunch when you start running. I think it’s definitely it features more towards younger guys, as does the team relay, with the natural speed. But obviously the Comm Games will be like that, so it will be good to test the course out this weekend.”

Ryan Bailie (AUS)
On his previous record at Gold Coast:
“It’s been a bit of a happy hunting ground for me. 2009 age-group world championships, and then obviously last year securing my Olympic spot here.”

On the Australian selection race:
“I mean there is big things on the line weekend, but it’s also just really good to race in front of a home crowd. So I think if I tick the boxes and focus on my processes there is no reason why I can’t get that spot. It’s focusing on what you need to do. If you are good enough to be the first Aussie across the line and take that automatic spot, then so-be-it, but I’m definitely not counting how many guys are in front of me - it’s just letting it rip and leaving it all out there.”

The women will get the 2017 Jewel World Triathlon Gold Coast underway at 14:00 on Saturday, April 8, while the men will follow on Saturday at 16:00 local time. Follow all of the action live at triathlonlive.tv and on twitter @triathlonlive. Trifecta is here again this year with new features. Create a new login and pick your favourites now at trifecta.usatriathlon.org.

Join the conversation with the hashtag #WTSGoldCoast