Hayden Wilde will lead a strong NZ triathlon quartert to the Paris Olympics next month.
The Tokyo bronze medallist will try to take a couple of steps up the podium in France, where he's considered one of the favourites to claim gold in a continuation of his rivalry with Brit Alex Yee.
"If it all comes down to a footrace, I don't think there's many people that can stay with us," Wilde said of his duel with Yee. "I was pretty stoked with how everything kind of happened there and I feel like I know what I need to do to crack Alex, if we do come off the bike with each other.
"I've always wanted to get to this Olympics and perform in this Olympics, so I can kind of take that, learn from my experiences in Tokyo and grab it by the horns, and and go for it."
The rest of the NZ line-up includes debutant Dylan McCullough, with Nicole van der Kaay and Ainsley Thorpe to contest the women's race.
McCullough has earned selection after steady progression during the qualification period, featuring a maiden World Cup podium in Japan last October, a series of impressive WTCS results and a rare solo bike-run breakaway to claim the Oceania sprint championships in Tasmania in March.
"It's pretty special," said the former Youth Olympics gold medaillist. "I've been targeting the Olympics for a while now.
"The next goal I wanted to step up to was, obviously, the Olympics. To get there is a pretty big achievement."
Meanwhile, van der Kaay hopes her relocation to Portugal to train under new coach Paulo Sousa will pay dividends at Paris.
"I've been training tirelessly, focusing on every detail of my preparation and pushing myself to new limits, all in pursuit of excellence," said van der Kaay. "I am determined to make New Zealand, my friends, my family and myself proud."
Thorpe is out to make amends, after crashing out of the women's individual race on the greasy, rain-soaked roads at Tokyo three years ago. She hopes for more luck at Paris and is buoyed by a series of encouraging results at WTCS level, notably a Kiwi-best 17th at last year's Paris test event.
"I had my experience in Tokyo haunt me for a long time, but after racing at the Paris test event last year, I realised how much stronger I have become as an athlete, both physically and mentally, in those two years," she said. "I loved the course and the city, and I can't wait to race in Paris again."
The quartet will also combine to contest the mixed relay event.
