The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon may have lost two time defending women’s champion Julie Dibens due to a long-standing foot injury, but the elite men’s and women’s fields still have a combined total of 16 World Championships, 76 Ironman wins and over 500 podium finishes in top races around the world.

Some of the brightest new stars to tackle Abu-Dhabi’s challenging 3-kilometer swim, 200 kilometer bike and 20 kilometer run are Danville California’s Chris Lieto in the men’s field and Melissa Rollison of Australia and Jodie Swallow of Great Britain in the women’s field.

Lieto, a three-time Ironman winner, three time top 10 finisher at Kona highlighted by his 2nd place finish in 2009, has a super cycling resume which is tailor made for Abu-Dhabi’s horsepower-hungry 200 kilometer ride. Lieto has the 2nd, 4th and 9th-fastest bike splits in Kona history, topped by his sizzling 4:18:32 split last year which was just 9 seconds off the 2006 course record held by Normann Stadler. Lieto comes into Abu Dhabi in good form as he led Lance Armstrong and the rest of a top field into T2 at Ironman 70.3 Panama and led the run until fading at Mile 3.

“I am very excited to race Abu Dhabi this year,” Lieto told Abu Dhabi media representatives. “I am usually not prepared in my fitness this early in the year but I have decided to up my training and put in the miles to be ready. I just finished Ironman 70.3 Panama as a preparation race and good signs of my fitness are showing. I have a couple of weeks to fine tune some things and I feel I will be ready to contend for a win.”

Abu Dhabi defending champion Frederik Van Lierde of Belgium, who also won Ironman Nice last year, seems to be in fine shape. “Abu Dhabi is for me the perfect event to get motivated through winter!” Van Lierde told Abu Dhabi media. “Since the beginning of December I have spent four training camps preparing for Abu Dhabi. With the ice cold temperatures we have had in Belgium I even managed to do a four hour bike ride on my ergo-trainer, a new personal record and that's all because of Abu Dhabi!“

Dirk Bockel, who finished 2nd at Abu Dhabi in 2010 and 3rd last year, just 28 seconds off the win, ought to be stronger than ever after joining the cycling team Leopard Trek and training with top Tour de France contenders. Bockel led the 2008 Olympic triathlon for 30 minutes on the bike, finished 7th at Ironman Hawaii in 2010 and placed 4th last year at Kona .

Also looking strong is 2010 Abu Dhabi champion Eneko Llanos, who came back from an uncharacteristic DNF last year at Abu Dhabi with a big win at the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas and did the same for a DNF at Ironman Hawaii with a subsequent sub-eight hour clocking at Ironman Arizona.

Rasmus Henning of Denmark, Abu Dhabi 3rd place finisher in 2010, had to drop out of Abu Dhabi last year with puzzling cramps. But the two-time $200,000 Hy-Vee Olympic distance winner, a 7:52:36 winner at Challenge Roth in 2010 (with a sensational closing 2:39 marathon), who was 8th at the Beijing Olympics and 7th at Athens in 2004, seems to be on target to peak at Abu Dhabi after a 4th place finish at Ironman 70.3 Panama this year.

Andi Bocherer of Germany also looks strong, coming off Ironman 70.3 wins at Cancun, Wiesbaden, and Switzerland, as well as a second place at Ironman South Africa and an 8th at Kona.

Leading the strong Team Abu Dhabi is 2005 Ironman Hawaii champion Faris Al-Sultan, who took 6th in the inaugural Abu Dhabi International and 8th last year. Al-Sultan looks stronger than ever after winning the prestigious Ironman Europe in Frankfurt in 2011.

Other key contenders include Clayton Fettell of Australia, who just won Urban Hotels 2.80.20 long course and Ironman 70.3 Port Macquarie; Leon Griffin, the 2006 ITU Duathlon World Champion who is coming off a 2nd place at Urban Hotels 2.80.20 and a win at Shepparton 70.3; and the USA’s Andrew Starykowicz, who shocked the field last year by taking a 6 minutes lead into T2 at Abu Dhabi, then proved he could finish with wins at the Rev3 half at Anderson, South Carolina and the full Ironman at Rev3 Cedar Point.

There are a lot of strong contenders eager to step in for the $50,000 top prize with Dibens out with injury. Returning women’s contenders include two-time ITU World Champion Leanda Cave of Great Britain, who was 6th last year and 2nd in 2010; 2010 Ironman World Championship runner-up Caroline Steffen of Switzerland, who was 4thin 2010 and 2nd last year; two time Ironman 70.3 winner Angela Naeth of Canada, a super strong cyclist who was 5th at Abu Dhabi last year; and 2011 ITU long distance World Champion Rachel Joyce of Great Britain, who was 4th at Abu Dhabi last year.

But two newcomers are very good bets to further shake up the existing order.

Melissa Rollison of Australia, a former world class steeplechaser with a PRs of 15:55 in the 5000 meters, 4:31 in the mile and 2:05 in the 800 meters, took the Ironman 70.3 world by storm last year, undefeated at the distance including an Ironman 70.3 world championship and a win at the prestigious Olympic distance Noosa Triathlon this year. While Rollison’s strength remains the run – she averaged 1:16 splits for the 13.1-mile runs last year, her bike times reached high standard as she virtually matched Julie Dibens’ bike split at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas.

Coming back to health after losing much of 2011 to a debilitating plantar fasciitis tear is 2009 ITU long distance World Champion and 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Jodie Swallow of Great Britain. Swallow, a 2004 Olympian, showed she was back with a dominating win this year at Ironman 70.3 South Africa and has the horsepower on the bike and run to take it all.

Another newcomer with a shot is former proressional cyclist Nikki Butterfield, who slashed through the elite field on the bike to take the lead at the $1 million dollar Hy-Vee Olympic distance race before falling back to 4th on the run. With 200 kilometers of straight-line, high horsepower riding, Abu Dhabi should fit Butterfield like a glove.

But no matter what the pre-race chalk may indicate, the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon has always offered intense competition and many surprises at the finish line.