(Photo: American Tim O'Donnell had a breakout season in 2009.)It's been an interesting year on the international pro tri scene. Many of the superstars of '08 and before, folks like Emma Snowsill (AUS), Vanessa Fernandez (POR), Simon Whitfield (CAN), Javier Gomez (ESP) and Rasmus Henning (DEN) had only occasional impact for a variety of reasons. Others raced well, though not quite as impressively as in prior seasons. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL), Greg Bennett (AUS) and Chris McCormack (AUS) come to mind.
The U.S. men, however, were very strong, despite the invisibility of Hunter Kemper. On our (MTN's) list of the Top 10 Male Triathletes of 2009 are three Americans. Only one women--Sarah Haskins--made our women's roster, though.
We've chosen to rank the Top 3 men and list the remaining seven in alphabetical order. Securing places four through ten are ITU star Courtney Atkinson (AUS), Xterra World Champ Eneko Llanos (ESP), long course superstar Chris McCormack (AUS), Long Course World Champ Tim O'Donnell (USA), Mr. Versatility Andy Potts (USA), Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) and Patrick Vernay (NCL).
Coming next: The Big 3...
