Australia will enter this weekend’s round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series with its four big guns fit and firing on what has historically been a happy hunting ground for those in the green and gold.

Reigning ITU world champion Emma Moffatt completely dominated last year’s race to win by a minute on the crowd‐lined course in the German port city of Hamburg, while Emma Snowsill, who emphatically announced her return from injury with a win in the world’s richest race in the USA last month, secured silver in the world championship when she raced here in 2007.

For Brad Kahlefeldt, it has been one of his most productive events, having finished on the podium four times, including silver last year. He will battle compatriot Courtney Atkinson who has been perhaps the most consistent performer on the international circuit over the past few months with three successive podium finishes among top company.

Kahlefeldt will use Saturday to try and reignite his season, after a recent leg injury dampened a strong start to the year in which he won the ITU Mooloolaba World Cup and claimed bronze in the world championship race in Seoul.

“After Seoul I had some problems with my shin, so I had to back off the running a bit,” Kahlefeldt said. “It was the result of a fall in a German league race and this affected my performance in Des Moines (ITU Elite Cup). I have been running normal kilometers now with normal intensity, so everything seems to be back on track for this next block of races which is good news.

I've had four podium finishes in Hamburg over the years, so I would really like to win one day. We’ll see what happens. It is one of my favourite races on the circuit – nice course, great crowd and nice German hospitality.”

Atkinson was struck down by a stomach bug this time last year and is hoping for better luck during what is a crucial part of the season, with three world championship races scheduled over the next four weeks.

“I had a bad few months in the middle of last season when a lot of racing was on, before recovering to finish fifth in the Grand Final on the Gold Coast,” Atkinson said. “This year the plan is to try to limit interruptions and hiccups over these important next few months.”

The Queenslander said there was no frustration at missing an elusive world championship series gold medal, despite coming close in Seoul, Madrid and Des Moines.