Welsh triathlete Anneliese Heard is competing at the Lausanne International in Switzerland on Saturday, which doubles as selection for the World Under-23 Triathlon Champion-ships in New Zealand.

Three women will be selected for the Great Britain team competing in New Zealand in December. England's Catherine Hare has already booked her place after gaining a silver medal at the European Under-23 Championships this year.

The 21-year-old Heard, along with GB teammate Jodie Swallow, will be aiming for one of the two remaining places. She said: "My aim is to finish in the top ten because this will more or less guarantee a place in the team.

"I'm looking forward to the competition and feel happy with the way things are going in training," she said.

Helen Tucker, the19-year-old from Llantwit Major, who has already secured a place in the World Junior Championships category, will also be competing in this event to gain valuable experience.

Great Britain triathlon coach Chris Jones says: "Both Anneliese and Helen's preparation for this race has been going very well.

"They've got several hard competitions lined up over the next three months and they're both looking in top form.

"Anneliese should make the GB squad and for Helen, it's more a case of gaining experience before the World Championships.

"The Welsh squad is looking very strong at the moment and all the athletes are working extremely hard."

Fellow Welsh triathlete Marc Jenkins from Bridgend, ranked world number15, will be competing in the Hamburg World Cup this Sunday in a bid to improve his ranking for Athens Olympics 2004.