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Two of the world’s greatest athletes will journey to Antigua & Barbuda for the AUA Rohrman on Saturday February 18^th, 2017. France’s David Hauss and New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt will compete in the race led by the famous Benjamin “The Fish” Sanson and come up against the likes of Caribbean Champion Francky Favre among others.

Hauss counts among his achievements a fourth-place finish at the London 2012 Olympic Games where he came in just eighteen seconds behind bronze medalist Jonathan Brownlee. Hauss is also a two-time Junior World Champion, a three times French Champion (2002, 2005 & 2007), a bronze medalist at both the World Sprint Championships and European Championships and he won the World Cup in Japan in 2012 dding to his already lengthy list of achievements. The 32-year-old star athlete will start his 2017 season in Antigua & Barbuda at the AUA Rohrman.

Hewitt meanwhile has a history of top Olympic finishes having placed 7^th in the recent 2016 Rio Olympics, 6^th in the 2012 London Olympics and 8^th in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was also crowned the Under 23 World Champion in 2005, placed third in the World Championship Series in 2009, second in the World Championship Series in 2011 and 1^st in the World Championship Finale in 2011.

Sanson is no stranger to Antigua & Barbuda having won the inaugural AUA Tinman Rohr Triathlon in 2012 and returned for the 5^th AUA Tinman Rohr in 2016 where he came second to Favre. Sanson still holds national swimming records in France and has competed at the top of the world triathlon circuit for over twenty years with countless top three Ironman and top five ITU World Cup finishes. Now one of the world’s leading triathlon coaches and race organizers, he will be the Race Director of the AUA Rohrman ensuring the race meets the highest international standards. With an intensive Triathlon training plan, Sanson ensures that athletes training under him break their physical and mental barriers, constantly challenging themselves to do their best and ultimately emerging at the top.

Favre won the 5^th AUA Tinman Rohr in style in 2016 having since gone on to a dominant win in the famous Ironman 70.3 St Croix and placed 4^th in the Ironman 70.3 Turkey. He also retains the title of Caribbean Champion. He will return to Antigua in 2017 to compete in the shorter, faster AUA Rohrman.

The AUA Rohrman will be competed across the shorter and faster Olympic distance of a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run compared to the longer more endurance based AUA Tinman Rohr which saw athletes compete over a 2,000-meter swim, 90-kilometer bike and 21-kilometer run.

The AUA Rohrman is sponsored chiefly by the American University of Antigua. The Government of Antigua & Barbuda are also chief partners while the Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts is the event hotel. The Observer Media Group are the chief media partners and Cool & Smooth are the chief apparel sponsors. The event is also sponsored by members of the Rohr family. Other chief partners are to be announced in short order.

The AUA Rohrman is dedicated to the memory of the late Jonathan Rohr, a former student of AUA and accomplished triathlete who played a pivotal role in developing triathlon in Antigua & Barbuda. The AUA Rohrman is led by Directors Andre Simon, Dr Kim Mallin, Rory Butler and Dave Lester-Payne.