Tuscaloosa to host 2008 Olympic triathlon trials in the spring

The Olympics are coming to Tuscaloosa.

Mayor Walt Maddox announced Thursday that Tuscaloosa will host the 2008 Olympic Triathlon Trials, along with Des Moines, Iowa; San Francisco, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; and Geneva, N.Y. The trials will be held April 19.

"We understand the significance of this day and what it means to have the world's greatest athletes swim in our river, compete on our streets and seek Olympic glory in a city that is very familiar with winning championships," Maddox said.

The trials determine which athletes compete for the United States in Beijing, China, in the 2008 Olympics.

MSNBC will cover the events, Maddox said.

Maddox said the city hosted the collegiate triathlon national championship last year, which laid the foundation for the Olympic committee to choose Tuscaloosa to host these events.

The city will also host the collegiate championship again on the same day as the Olympic trials, Maddox said. The collegiate championship will be in the morning and the Olympic trials in the afternoon, he said.

"We are a people filled with strength," Maddox said. "We are a people filled with endless optimism. We are going to work tirelessly to make this city proud, this state proud and this nation proud."

Scott Schnitzspahn, U.S. triathlon sport performance director, visited Tuscaloosa last week and said the course is a good precursor for the games in Beijing, according to a press release.

"The course more than meets our needs on the performance and competition side," he said. "There are many similarities between this course and what the athletes will experience in Beijing, especially the hill climb on the bike. It's a good match for our needs."

Elizabeth Broadhead, a sophomore majoring in elementary education and a member of the UA triathlon team, said Tuscaloosa is an appropriate host of the trials.

"It's wonderful," she said. "It's going to be awesome having the races here. It really says a lot for the city to be able to have this kind of national exposure."

Coston Perkins, a sophomore majoring in biology, said the city hosting the trials is beneficial for everyone involved.

"It's great that they're coming," he said. "It's great for the athletes. It's great for the city. And it's great for our club and the University."