WELLINGTON (AP) Lance Armstrong will compete in a sprint-distance triathlon in New Zealand in January.

Organizers of the Blue Lake Multisport Festival at Rotorua on New Zealand's North Island announced that Armstrong was a confirmed starter in the Jan. 29-30 event.

The triathlon comprises a 455-meter lake swim, a 16-km cycling course and a 5.4-km forest run.

The seven-time Tour de France champion became a professional triathlete at age 16 and was U.S. national sprint champion in 1989 and 1990 before concentrating on cycling.

Armstrong has indicated that Australia's Tour Down Under from Jan. 16-23 will be his last professional cycling race outside the United States.