Beijing Olympic champion Emma Snowsill will make her long awaited return to racing at next weekend’s Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Seoul.

The Aussie endured a frustrating 2009, undergoing mid-season hip surgery and watching on the sideline as compatriot Emma Moffatt claimed the inaugural Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship title at the Series Grand Final on Australia’s Gold Coast. Snowsill was then struck with a debilitating virus during the Australian summer and was forced to sit out her first two scheduled races of this year.

Snowsill has not competed since June last year. Her comeback, however, leaves her with enough time to be in contention for the 2010 world crown. She will have the opportunity to score points toward her world ranking at the six remaining Series events, as well as from two World Cup races.

“With the big races coming up in Europe and the United States I need to get a race under my belt and Seoul represents a great opportunity to blow out the cobwebs because it’s a relatively short trip and on the same time line,” Snowsill said. “I’m itching to get back on the start line – even though I’m probably only at about 80 percent in terms of race-ready fitness, my body feels good, my last couple of weeks training have been very solid, and I’m highly motivated to have a good season following the frustrations I endured with injury last year.” 

Snowsill was a frustrated spectator when the 2010 series kicked off in spectacular style at the Sydney Opera House on April 11.

“It was very hard to watch the race in Sydney because I’m not a great spectator at the best of times and it was such a huge event held in our own back yard,” she said. In saying that, I think I’ve learned to listen to my body a bit more through what happened last year and I wasn’t quite ready. I don’t like to put myself on the start line if I don’t believe I will be competitive, so even though I was feeling OK, I knew it was the right decision not to race. By being a little more patient and using Seoul as a stepping stone, I’m hoping to be at peak fitness when the focus shifts to the big European races and the Hy-Vee Elite Cup in the States in June.”

While she may not be racing at 100 percent, Snowsill’s presence on the start line will undoubtedly catch the attention of the other women looking for a win. Others vying for top honors in Seoul include the aforementioned Moffatt, 22-year-old Chilean Barbara Riveros Diaz, who pulled off a surprise win at the Series opener in Sydney, and Kiwi Andrea Hewitt, who has had a very solid start to the 2010 season.