Athletes will tackle a sprint distance course in the Belgian city ©ITU

New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde is among the favourites to claim victory at the International Triathlon Union World Cup in Antwerp.

Wilde is seeking a maiden World Cup success having finished second in Cagliari last year.

Strong performances at the Nottingham mixed relay and the World Triathlon Series in Abu Dhabi, where he earned a top-10 finish, have seen Wilde emerge as one of the contenders.

He will seek victory in a sprint distance race which will feature a 750 metres swim, 22 kilometre bike section and 5km run.

Tayler Reid, another New Zealand athlete, will hope to improve on his second-place finish at the event in Antwerp last year.

Slovakia’s Richard Varga will seek to step up his return from injury, while Britain’s Ben Dijkstra could also impress.

The women’s race will see Germany’s Laura Lindemann start as one of the favourites to claim victory.

Lindemann has already earned a World Cup success this season in Chengdu.

United States’ Renee Tomlin was the runner-up at the race in China, but will hope to reverse the finishing positions in Antwerp.

Valerie Barthelemy will be expected to lead the challenge for home team Belgium.