Battle Of Inchon

A Record number of teams to fight it out at 2011 Team Triathlon World ...

It's that time again, when countries will battle to decide who is the best triathlon nation in the world. And this year, there will be more countries trying to do that than ever before, with a total of 37 teams from 30 different National Federations entered in the 2011 Lausanne Team Triathlon World Championships.

Since the ITU's new team triathlon mixed relay was introduced in 2009, the format has kept gaining momentum, in 2009 a total of 12 different countries competed, before 15 entered in the 2010 event.

This year the 30 different National Federations on the start line includes 20 countries that have competed in the Team Triathlon world titles before, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the USA. But there are also 10 national teams who are brand new to the team event and will be making their world championship debut, including Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea and Surinam.

Now it's fitting that the city home to the modern Olympic movement plays host, as the ITU aims for the team event's inclusion on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games programme. Team triathlon made a successful major games debut at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and earlier this year, was also accepted in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games programme.

In the race, each team member completes a super-sprint distance triathlon consisting of a 275m swim, 6km bike and 1.5km swim before tagging their next teammate.

Elite Preview The final teams for Sunday's world championships do not need to be declared until just before the race, so expect both tactics and fitness to become some of the deciding and intriguing issues in the next five days. But one thing is for sure, Swizterland has won both world titles in this format so far and will be hard to beat at home again. In 2009, it was a team of Magali di Marco, Ruedi Wild, Daniela Ryf and Lukas Salvisberg. In 2010 Nicola Spirig and Sven Riederer joined Wild and Ryf to score back-to-back team world titles. This year's No.1 Swiss team has just one change, with Daniela Ryf taking a break after London, and Melanie Annaheim taking her spot alongside Spirig, Riederer and Wild. Switzerland's No.2 team will be Celine Schaerer, Ruth Nivon Machoud, Andrea Salvisberg and Florin Salvisberg.

Something that is sure to strike fear into the hearts of every other team though is Great Britain's line-up, which boasts Alistair Brownlee, Jonathan Brownlee, Helen Jenkins and Jodie Stimpson. That foursome not only has two world championships, 11 overall Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series wins and even more series medals on its resume, but they are all in excellent form. Alistair Brownlee and Jenkins were the respective London winners and Jonathan Brownlee finished third, while Stimpson has finished in the top 15 in her last three races,14th in London, ninth in Hamburg and 10th at the European Championships. Stimpson also finished eighth in the individual sprint world championships here in Lausanne in 2010.

POSTON CAMP UPDATES: RESTORATION PROJECT: JA Marine fought for country

&Nbsp;     At the age of 18, Yamaguchi made a big decision. Although many would consider his choice remarkable, he said it was an easy one to make. Yamaguchi decided to join the Marines, to fight for the country that had kept him sequestered in a sweltering Arizona camp only four years before. "I do not lie, I joined because I needed the job," he said. "That's the truth." It was the beginning of his 20-year military career.      Now the 81-year-old veteran lives in an assisted living facility in Point Loma and tells his story with a smile and glimmering eyes. But he also interrupts his narrative with reflective pauses that stretch on for minutes and refuses to delve deeper into his war memories, saying simply, "I don't think about that." Yamaguchi does, however, recall his conviction that despite his ethnic background, he belonged in the Marines.      Yamaguchi retired from the Marines in 1969 with the rank of staff sergeant. He received $10,000 from the GI bill to attend college, first at San Jose State and then at San Diego City College. Because he had enjoyed the San Diego area during his time at Camp Pendleton, Yamaguchi decided to move his family here and bought a home on Point Loma.

Battle of Inchon

Incheon, Incheon International Airport, Inchon, Battle of Inchon, Incheon United F. C. , Ganghwa Island, Incheon Bridge, Incheon Subway Line 1

Naval Battles of the Korean War, Battle of Inchon

The Korean War

1950 in Korea, Battle of Inchon