Poulsen was tested by WTC at the Affresh Ironman 70.3 Muncie on July 9, 2011.  The sample resulted in an Adverse Analytical Finding for testosterone and/or its precursors, which are prohibited in the class of Anabolic Agents on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List that has been adopted by the World Triathlon Corporation Anti-Doping Rules (“WTC Rules”).

Poulsen accepted a two-year period of ineligibility; beginning on July 9, 2011, the date the sample was collected.  As a result of the doping violation, Poulsen has also been disqualified from all competitive results achieved at and subsequent to July 9, 2011, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

“First and foremost, I want to apologize to my sponsors, fellow athletes, family and friends,” said Poulsen.  “My positive test was caused by my use of a prescribed treatment.  I had contacted anti-doping authorities, including WTC and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (“CCES”), to inquire regarding a possible Therapeutic Use Exemption (“TUE”), but regret that I failed to see that process through and heed their warnings before continuing to compete without an approved TUE.”

“As athletes we are 100% responsible for what we put in our bodies and the resulting consequences for our actions,” continued Poulsen.  “I hope my fellow competitors will consider my situation and recognize the importance of being accountable to the Anti-Doping Rules.”

“This case illustrates the importance of athletes taking responsibility for the rules established to protect the integrity of competition,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of WTC.  “WTC will continue to work with our athletes and race organizers to ensure the fundamental values of fair play and healthy living are preserved.”

To learn more about the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 brands and events, visit www.ironman.com.  Media-related inquiries should be directed to Jessica Weidensall at Jessica@ironman.com or 813.868.5914.

# # #

As a private corporation conducting triathlon events under the IRONMAN® brand, World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is the first private, non-federation sports company to formally adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code. The WTC Rules are adopted and implemented in conformance with the responsibilities of WTC under the code, and are in furtherance of WTC continuing its efforts to eradicate doping in the sport of triathlon. As part of the www.ironmanpromembership.com website, WTC has included an Anti-Doping section. Downloads of rules, policies and forms, as well as educational resources and links are available to all participants and the public through this site.

About World Triathlon Corporation

World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a Tampa-based company recognized for athletic excellence, distinguished events and quality products. The WTC portfolio includes Ironman, Ironman 70.3, 5150 Triathlon Series, Iron Girl and IronKids, which have a combined total of more than 180 events worldwide each year. Supported by partners including Timex, PowerBar, K-Swiss and TYR, Ironman is the No.1 user-based sports brand in the world and has been a respected name in triathlon since its inception in 1978.

2012 Ironman Membership Applications:

Athletes wishing to register for a 2012 Annual Ironman Pro Membership must complete the registration process by February 28, 2012 or 60-days prior to your first event.

For more complete details -

http://ironmanpromembership.com/membership/

For those athletes planning on competing in the first two events coming up in January 2012 at the Ironman 70.3 Pucon and Ironman 70.3 South Africa  – the first registration cut-off for either annual membership or single event membership is due in November.

The WTC Anti-Doping Program will expand it’s I AM TRUE campaign with a stop at at this year’s Keiki Dip-n-Dash event at the Kailua-Kona Pier on Tuesday October 4th as well as through increased outreach among our Professional and Age Group triathletes.

The WTC’s efforts are in partnership with World Anti-Doping Agency’s “Say No! to Doping” program.  Last year’s Ironman World Champion, Mirinda Carfrae, made her statement in an advertisement recently featured in LAVA Magazine, stating “I AM TRUE because my motivation is to find and push my natural limits.”

When you see someone around the Kona wearing the WTC’s new “Ask Me Why I AM True?” t-shirt – take a moment and ask them, and yourself, the question.  Be part of the WTC’s ongoing work to preserve the integrity of our great sport.

The most up to date listing for the 2012 70.3PR qualifying year is now posted, along with the current 70.3PR Rankings.

Coming up this weekend with the innaugral Ironman 70.3 Ireland, the 2012 KPR will get underway.  The most up to date listing of events and information will be posted shortly.

The current KPR rankings have been formatted a little differently going into this last week for ease of reference to see which athletes have qualified (Q), are automatic qualifiers(AQ), those who declined their slots as July qualifiers (DECL) and athletes who have met the mandatory Ironman qualification criteria (*) at this time.

With three final events coming up next weekend – Subaru Ironman Canada (P-2000), Ford Ironman Louisville (P-1000) and Ironman 70.3 Brazil (P-750), the final 10 slots for Men and 5 slots for the Women will go to the next highest scoring athletes, at the end of the weekend.

August 19, 2011 (Tampa, Fla.) – Introduced in September 2010, the Kona Points Ranking (KPR) qualifying system has allowed professional athletes the opportunity to race and accumulate points at 85 qualifying events throughout the season.  KPR rankings have been updated weekly, giving athletes the ability to track their points and positions in the ranking.   Athletes who have earned their slots through the KPR qualifying system will race at the Ford Ironman World Championship.

The KPR qualifying system also allows for the granting of wildcard entries into the Ford Ironman World Championship to be awarded by the WTC. There will be no wildcards granted in 2011 to the Ford Ironman World Championship.

Six-time Ironman World Champion Natascha Badmann has been granted a one-year extension of her five-year Automatic Qualifying (AQ) entitlement.  The extension follows severe injuries sustained while racing at the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship.  Badmann’s extension does not impact the KPR qualifying system and will not prevent any other athlete from claiming her spot at the starting line.

The only ‘tense’ moments came from second place women’s finisher at Ironman UK, Diana Riesler who led the race for most of the day, and a win for her would have secured the 25^th qualifying slot in the KPR.  Her second place finish leaves Samantha Warriner , IM New Zealand Champion in that slot by just 55 points.

The top 25 qualified women  athletes in the KPR  (Mirinda Carfrae is an Automatic Qualifier) will be extended the invitation to accept their slot by August 7^th or allow it to roll to the next qualified athlete.

On the men’s side , there was little change and the top 40 qualified  men listed on the KPR (Craig Alexander is an Automatic Qualifier, and Andreas Raelert & Chris McCormack have not qualified their slots as of July 31^st) will be extended their invitation.  As of the deadline the 40^th qualifying slot goes to Matthew White, listed in #43 position.

On the women’s side, Caroline Steffen and Yvonne Van Vlerken took over the first and second KPR slots, respectively. The biggest move was second-place Ironman Frankfurt finisher, Lucie Zelenkova, who moved from outside the top 50 to the 19th position. Virginia Berasategui finished tenth in Frankfurt, validating her slot to Kona. All the top women now appear to have completed the Kona qualification process. It’s now down to one more weekend of racing (Ironman UK and Calgary 70.3), though neither event is on the high on the points scale) for the first round of July qualifiers for Kona.

On the men’s side, Faris Al-Sultan not only validated his Kona slot but moved up over 30 places to fourth in the KPR. A solid race by Luke McKenzie, who placed sixth, put him firmly into qualifying territory as well. The only top male athletes still to validate their starts at the world championships in October are the Raelert Brothers. Michael Raelert’s withdrawal from Frankfurt this weekend leaves him outside of the top 40, with July qualifying upcoming.

All athletes will be notified and requested to accept/ decline their slot in the upcoming week.  Any declined slots will then be rolled to the next ranked athlete based on the standings of 70.3PR as of  7/17.

*This list does not include Automatic Qualifiers

MEN:

WOMEN:

In Ironman, Karin Theurig’s win in Switzerland moves her into the top three, behind fellow countryman Caroline Steffen and validated her slot to Kona. Ronnie Schildnecht also validated his slot and moves into the top 15. The only top female contender to still validate is Virginia Berasategui.

On men’s side, the Raelert brothers still need to validate their Kona starts, along with Faris Al Sultan. Ironman Frankfurt should see this handled for both Faris and Michael Raelert, along with a boost for Australia’s Luke McKenzie—who currently sits right on the top 50 qualifying edge.